Bird Brain
by Necronom Hezberek Mortix
Summary: In the midst of a heated battle, Robin disappears. Where has he gone? Or who has taken him? There might be a plan in store for more than just Robin...What will it take to get him back? RobxRae Personally my favorite story.
1. Disappeared

**Bird Brain Ch 1**

**A/N - **Wow! NHM still is alive? She still writes stories? Hell yes I do. Good to be back. I really like this idea, but it's still in development, so if you have a genuinely awesome idea, shoot it over in a review! :) Thanks for reading! R&R

**Disclaimer – **Don't own/care to profit from anything on this page. Only came up with idea for story. Enjoy.

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><p>The ground around Cyborg's feet darkened as the car came flying at him. Cyborg leapt away, landing on his chest with a grunt.<p>

"Oof! Great, now he's throwing cars at us," Cyborg grumbled, glaring at the laughing Cinderblock.

"Cyborg!" Robin yelled over the sound of crunching metal, "Are you alright?"

"Just great, Robin," Cyborg responded, getting up.

Robin and Cyborg's heads turned as the sound of Starfire's yell neared.

"Hraah!" She flew up and punched Cinderblock's rock head hard. He toppled over; time seemed to slow as he fell. He thudded in the middle of the city street loudly with a grunt.

"Move out of the way!" Raven levitated a black sedan, ready to strike. "Rock head's not the only one who can throw cars." She hefted the vehicle at him at full force.

Cinderblock had just started to pick himself back up when he took a sedan to the face. The impact of the car not only pushed him back down to the ground, it shoved him backwards into a red fire hydrant. Suddenly water spewed out of the top, adding to the already tumultuous mess.

Beast Boy, who was standing by the hydrant, shrieked. "Aaah! Water!"

Raven landed on the ground beside him, her heavy blue cloak fluttering nicely behind her.

"So you're totally fine with a two ton rock monster flying at you, but you scream like a little girl when you get wet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't like spontaneous wetness."

"Uh, guys?" Cyborg yelled at the two.

Raven quickly turned around only to be picked up in a giant concrete hand. "Let me go!" she growled, struggling against the great crushing force. She looked down at Beast Boy. "Well don't just stand there, do something!"

"On it!" Beast Boy promptly morphed into an ankylosaurus and swung his tail fiercely at the back of Cinderblock's knees. Cinderblock moaned as he fell forwards. His left arm smashed onto the ground and released Raven, who tumbled out of his grasp.

"Way to almost kill me!" she complained.

"You're welcome!" Beast Boy had reverted to his human self. His stupid, normal self.

Hearing a loud groan, Raven turned her head over her left shoulder to see Cinderblock slowly rise to his gigantic feet.

"Man, he just won't quit!" Cyborg complained, charging his sonic cannon.

"Yes, he is quite persistent. What is it that he is after?" Starfire agreed, also readying her flashy green starbolts at her hands.

"What ever it is," answered Robin, who was perched on top of the overturned sedan, "he won't get it. Titans go!"

Robin leapt at Cinderblock first, chucking numerous explosive discs at him. A few went off in Cinderblock's face. He clutched his flat face with his large hands and roared as loudly as his stone vocal cords could produce noise. Cinderblock then glared at Robin with a burning fury, grabbed his arm, and swung the Titan behind him, harshly dislocating Robin's left shoulder.

"Aaah!" Robin howled in pain as he heard the loud, sickening pop coming from his shoulder. He soon found himself released and flying through the air at top speed. His trajectory took him…directly through an office building. Less than a full second later, Robin reemerged from the far side of the building and hit the ground, lying motionless.

"Robin!" Raven turned to the other Titans. "Can you guys handle Cinderblock? I have to go check on Robin."

"Yeah, we got it!" Cyborg yelled, shooting his sonic cannon at Cinderblock with a perfectly aimed shot.

Raven nodded and quickly flew toward the building, swiftly evading a punch from Cinderblock on the way there. She flew around the building that Robin's body had blasted a pretty big hole through. Broken glass and rubble sat at her feet. The legs of an office chair stuck out halfway out of a shattered window on the ground floor.

"Robin?" she called, looking around. He was nowhere to be found. "Robin!" she yelled, more desperately this time. No response.

Raven could hear the sounds of her teammates kicking Cinderblock's stone cold butt. They seemed to be doing absolutely fine, unlike her. She began to worry.

Using her telekinetic powers, Raven manipulated the piles of rubble and debris, moving them aside in hopes of finding her team's leader alive beneath it all.

"Come on, come on," Raven sighed anxiously, rapidly sifting through multiple piles at a time. "Robin, you have to be in here somewhere…"

Meanwhile, back with the other Titans, Starfire was rapidly throwing a flurry of starbolts at Cinderblock, the green energy exploding brightly.

Cinderblock reared up and stomped on the ground, sending visible vibrations through the concrete. Various car alarms went off, including the one of the black sedan that Raven had thrown. Glass in nearby stores and buildings shattered in a progressive line down the street. People started screaming. The situation was just getting worse and worse.

"Whoa!" Cyborg toppled over, accidentally firing his loaded sonic cannon. The misaligned shot missed Cinderblock and hit Starfire instead.

"Eeep!" she shrieked as she felt the energy hit her.

"Alright, up to me!" Beast Boy shouted, having been in the air when Cinderblock had caused a minor earthquake. He changed into a bull and charged at the monster, striking him straight in the gut.

Cinderblock moaned and collapsed, falling unconscious as his head hit the concrete ground, at last, defeated.

Changing back, Beast Boy exclaimed, "Yeah! Bull's eye!"

"Aside from BB's bad jokes, everyone alright?" Cyborg asked, getting up from the ground.

Starfire walked up beside him. "Yes, I am alright."

Beast Boy shot the other two Titans a cheerful thumbs-up.

"But where is Raven?" asked Starfire, looking around briefly.

Beast Boy pointed at the gaping hole in the nearby office building. "She said she was checking on Robin, who made this gnarly hole." He approached the building front and extended his foot, taking a step.

"Whoa, no." Cyborg pulled the scruff of Beast Boy's collar. "We do not just walk through buildings with big holes in them. Robin could have easily broken some columns in there."

"But please, friends," said Starfire, "we must hurry."

"Right. Let's go around."

The three Titans ran around the building to see pile after pile of broken glass, metal, and concrete. In the midst of it all, stood Raven.

Hearing her teammates, Raven turned and approached them, a stern and clearly concerned look on her face.

"I have searched everywhere in the building's proximity and I still have not found Robin."

"People do not just disappear! He has to be here somewhere…" Starfire flipped over a nearby car with ease.

Cyborg shook his head. "Well I don't know about you guys, but I hate déjà vu."

Starfire returned to the group and said, "Well we cannot just stand here, we must look for Robin!"

Cyborg sighed, responding, "Man, what is this, the third time this has happened? Like I said, really hate—"

Raven put up her hand, signaling Cyborg to stop talking. Her gaze was set on something lying in the corner of her vision. Something black and yellow.

She slowly walked over and bent down to pick it up. The other Titans followed suit. _It was Robin's communicator._

"No…" Raven's word was a whisper.

She turned the communicator over. On the underside, some writing caught her attention. It was very precisely carved into the device. The strokes were methodical, very clean and neat, but clearly hand-done. The rest of the Titans surrounded her, peering over he shoulders to read what was written.

_Your search stops here. This time, he doesn't have a choice_

Beast Boy squinted and leaned forward, pointing at something red above the word "stops".

"Hey, what's that?"

Raven's eyes widened instantly.

"Get back!" she yelled, quickly backing up.

"What? Why?" No one answered the shape shifter's question as Cyborg jumped back, pulling Beast Boy with him.

Raven threw the communicator straight up into the air. Immediately after, she raised a tall, cylindrical barrier around the communicator and the space around it. Milliseconds later, the communicator exploded powerfully, the energy rattling against Raven's black energy. The force of the explosion cracked the top of the energy wall, the explosion's strength immense. A second later, it was over. Raven lowered the worn barrier, breathing heavily.

"So, what do you make of that?" she asked, although already anticipating the answer.

Cyborg took a step forward. "Only one person comes to mind. And he's got Robin."

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><p>Robin awoke to total darkness, his body lying on a cold floor. He turned his head upwards. He cringed as pain shot up his neck.<p>

"Gah…must have taken a nasty hit when I crashed into that building…"

He wiggled each muscle he could to see if anything was severely injured or broken. As he rolled his shoulders, an intense shooting pain overwhelmed his senses. It felt as if his shoulder had been in a searing blue fire for minutes. He thought, "I'll have Raven heal that later…wait…Raven…what…?"

With little strength, he rolled onto his right side. His head throbbed, his body threatened to allow him to pass out again, and it was cold. Colder than it should have been if he was outside.

"Wh—where am I?" he asked, closing his tired eyes and putting a hand to his cold forehead.

An eerie yet quite familiar voice answered him. "Look who's awoken from his little nap. What can I say, Robin, welcome back."

The person slowly approached Robin, the footsteps coming closer and closer. That was the last thing Robin saw before his eyelids started feeling heavier and heavier, and his vision faded to black.

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><p>Thanks for reading! Read and review please! I really appreciate it! :)<p> 


	2. Where Is Robin?

**Bird Brain Ch 2**

**A/N – **I will now be updating this story weekly on SUNDAYS. Look at that, today is Sunday! If I end up missing a Sunday update, I will try to update two chapters for the next Sunday to keep on schedule. Also, the next coming weeks are super stressful, so apologies if I miss an update. Anywhoooo, I'm sure you're all dying to know what happens next, so here you go! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer – **I own nothing but the plot idea for this story. Who on here does? I'd think pretty much no one.

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><p>Back at the Tower, the Titans convened in the main room…well, except for one. Robin still hadn't shown up anywhere. The other Titans were clearly present. Starfire and Beast Boy sat on the right side of the black couch watching TV while Cyborg sat in the middle, simply sitting there. Raven, however, was not reading in her room or at the couch; no, she was sitting at the main computer, typing away.<p>

Empty pizza boxes were situated on the ground near the couch, piles of dirty dishes sat in the sink, and the room was nearly silent; noise only came from the TV. Tension swam around, above, beneath, and between each of the Titans.

Suddenly, Raven stood up, pushing her gray chair away.

"We seriously can't just sit here and wait for something bad to happen!" she shouted, her face clearly displaying concern and disappointment.

"You may have forgotten that Robin is strong and will show up any time now," Starfire spoke, also standing up. "Perhaps something good will happen and he will show up on his own soon."

Raven scowled. "Robin didn't fly through that building and get _lost_, Starfire. He was _taken._"

The alien girl returned the scowl. "I do realize that, but—"

"But what?" Raven interrupted. "We're literally just sitting here. We've got to do something before it's too late."

"Whoa, hold up," Cyborg said, rising from the couch. "No offense, Raven, but who died and made you ruler? I thought that I was second in charge."

Raven crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you have a plan?"

"Um…not exactly…"

"Well I do, at least the beginning of one." She sat back down and faced the computer screen again, her face fallen. "We can't just walk in and save Robin. Slade will have expected that."

"So what do you suggest we do then?" Beast Boy asked, switching off the television.

Raven pondered silently for a moment; an eerie stillness washed over her face.

"Alright. What does Slade want?" she finally asked, swiveling around in her chair.

"I would assume he wants Robin," Starfire offered quietly, her lips not moving much.

Cyborg put up a hand as a thought struck him. "But think about this. The last time Slade came for Robin was because he was seeking him as an apprentice."

Beast Boy walked up beside Cyborg and patted him on the back. "Okay big guy, where are you going with this?"

"Let me finish and you'll find out."

The green titan slid backwards. "Well alrighty then."

Cyborg cleared his throat. "Well, considering how well the last time went, it's logical that Slade would want something else from Robin this time," Cyborg finished. He looked at Beast Boy. "Alright, now you can pat me on the back."

"Or maybe Slade wants something from one of us," Raven said, standing up.

"But what could Slade want that we have and Robin doesn't? I mean, he's the freaking leader! He probably knows more about this entire organization than the rest of us do," Beast Boy responded.

"That's the part we haven't figured out yet," Raven concluded. "That's the part that Robin's waiting for us to figure out."

Starfire walked up to Raven with stern eyes. "We will not save Robin by talking." She lifted a fist surrounded by green energy. "We will save him by doing. I say we go in and take back Robin!"

"Easy Starfire," Raven replied, "Slade is probably expecting us to do something like that. We have to avoid all possible traps."

"But…oh, I understand." Starfire lowered her arm and stepped backwards.

"So," Cyborg said, "what do we do now?"

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><p>Once again, Robin awoke to nearly complete darkness. A faint light shone in the corner of the area. He rolled onto his right side and slowly sat up. A dull pain in his neck still bothered him. And of course, his dislocated left shoulder was going to be a severe hindrance to him.<p>

"Wait…" Robin rolled his right shoulder backwards, and then forwards. All was fine. Very cautiously and tentatively, he raised his left shoulder up, then down. _No pain._ He put his right palm on his left shoulder and squeezed.

"My shoulder…it's absolutely fine…"

"Why of course it is, Robin. I have had my share of dislocated joints over the years, I assure you." The cold, familiar, eerie voice had returned.

Robin's eyes narrowed at the shadow that loomed over the person.

"Slade. What do you want from me? What are you planning?" Robin demanded.

"If I had a nickel for every time you've said that, I'd be a hell of a lot richer than I already am," he joked.

"I know I'm not here to play games, Slade, tell me why I'm here!" Robin shouted. "I don't know why you healed me, but you're going to regret it." Robin heard Slade sigh in the distance.

"Robin, I have realized that, in the past, I have been generous enough to reveal my detailed plans with you. But this time, you will not have the luxury of knowing. I will keep you in the dark."

With those final words, the faint light went out, leaving Robin alone in the never-ending darkness.

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><p>Robin began to fumble around his belt in search for his tiny flashlight.<p>

"Let's see if I can shine some light on this whole situation…" After locating the flashlight, he shined the beam around, observing his surroundings. He was back in Slade's old lair all right. The old, rusted gears were present, unturned for a couple years. There were new ones as well, ones that were shiny and clean It was clear that there had yet to be a battle on those gears. Robin's mind instantly flashed back to when Slade was his master, and he was the Master's apprentice. Images of his own bruised and beaten body reemerged from the cavernous depths of his mind.

_All…that…failure…_

He had only succeeded when he had the assistance of his friends. Where were they anyway? Robin sighed, for he knew how things would turn out if he was unfortunately alone. As much as he had wanted to be alone when he first stepped foot into Jump City, right now, all Robin wanted was the strength and support of his reliable friends.

Robin began walking to the right, holding his tiny gray flashlight in his left hand.

"Where are you, Slade…let's finish this." Robin whispered, looking around.

Robin stopped and shined the flashlight around a bit. He saw something glint in the light's path in front of him. Robin stopped.

Starting at the ground, he slowly directed the beam upwards. He could only manage to get up to Slade's hands. In his left hand, was a shiny, surgical scalpel.

Robin froze. He dropped the small flashlight. The metal clinked loudly in the long silence.

_A scalpel? Slade's never used any weapons except for his bo staff against us. That's…scary…_

"Afraid, Robin?" Slade asked with a dark, humorous tone. "As you should be."

Robin sighed, frowning. There was a way to get out of this, out of the entire situation. He needed to find it, now. No way was he going to be a part of whatever Slade had in mind. Robin backed up, unfortunately, into a nearby wall. "Great." He looked up at Slade, who seemed to be…simply waiting for something to happen.

This was completely different from what Slade had wanted from the Titans before, and it deeply confused Robin.

_Is he working for someone else again? Is he being ambitious or inspired? Do we now have something that he wants?_ Robin blinked away his thoughts and focused on the task at hand: disarming and defeating Slade, or falling back and trying to escape.

Slade also noticed Robin's inaction. "Any day now, Robin."

Robin made up his mind. He took a confident step forward, literally seeing eye to eye with Slade. Suddenly, Robin jumped backwards onto the rock wall and rebounded off, punching Slade's hand.

"Aaargh!" The scalpel clattered away. Slade chuckled and straightened. "Too bad. Now I'll have to sterilize that one again." With a swift and easy motion, Slade swiped another metal scalpel from the back of his belt and removed its cover, exposing the thin, sharp blade. "Let's try again, shall we?"

Robin frowned at Slade. "Your trial's up." He lunged forward, tackling Slade at the waist, knocking them both down to the ground.

Slade plunged the scalpel through the top of Robin's cape, deep into the ground.

Robin stopped moving, realizing how close the scalpel's piercing blade had been to his body. He subsequently tried to get up, but the scalpel in the ground pinned his cape down. He struggled continuously, but to no avail. The cape's strong material wouldn't tear, leaving him stuck to the ground.

Robin watched Slade get up and disappear into the darkness. A moment later, Slade returned with a clear mask attached to a gray gas tank. He firmly pressed the mask onto Robin's face. "Just breathe, Robin. It'll all be over soon."

Robin squirmed around underneath. After a couple everlasting minutes, Robin's lungs burned for air. Robin's vision soon blurred out and left him, and his lungs succumbed to the grueling burn for air.

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><p><strong>Yay! You made it through the second chapter! :DD Please review and tell me what you thought! Tune in next Sunday for the next chapter!-NHM<strong>


	3. Attack at the Home Base

**Bird Brain Ch 3**

**A/N – **Another beautiful Sunday, another (hopefully) beautiful update

**Disclaimer - **NHM. Does. Not. Own. TT. XD

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><p>"Alright, Titans, we need to figure out why Slade's taken Robin and what he wants, ASAP," Raven declared when the Titans gathered bright and early the next day. "What do we know so far?"<p>

Starfire raised her hand and volunteered her answer. "The Slade has taken Robin for a reason currently unknown."

Raven sighed and frowned, tapping the table with her fingers. "Okay, so I guess we don't have much to go off of…"

"And you're _sure_ that we can't just charge into Slade's lair, take Robin back, and get out?" Cyborg asked.

"As sure as the sky I s blue," Raven affirmed.

"Why don't we just do something already?" Beast Boy yelled, waving his arms around.

A soft noise came from the rooftop above.

"Wait, friends, I hear something!" Starfire whispered intensely.

The four Titans listened intently, anticipating something, anything.

What sounded like firm footsteps emanated from the ceiling. They seemed to stop directly over Raven, and then walk away.

Raven immediately recognized the footsteps' pattern. "It's—"

She wasn't able to finish her though as the ceiling right over her head exploded into a million tiny pieces, as if someone had attached dynamite to a solid block of glass and let it explode.

"Aaah!" All four Titans were forced to fall back. Beast Boy flew into the kitchen and slammed against the counter, a bowl of fruit emptying itself on top of his head. The blast blew Cyborg backwards over the couch and hard onto the floor. Starfire flew into the main window with a shrill "Eeep!". Raven, however, was prepared.

She had put up a hemispherical shield over herself right before the explosion happened. Even with her shield raised, the blast pushed her backwards a few feet.

Robin flipped down through the large hole holding Slade's bo staff landing neatly on the floor without a sound.

Raven quickly lowered her shield and looked at him.

"—Robin…" she finished.

Robin was dressed in a similar outfit to when he originally worked as Slade's apprentice. He donned the black, tight-fitting material clad with steel plates on his shins, thighs, and arms. On his torso was the black and orange material, though this time, the orange seemed to be tinged with red, distinguishing this suit from the first one Robin wore as Slade's initial apprentice.

"Robin," Raven glowered, "attacking your own house, your friends. This wasn't supposed to happen again. What are you doing?"

Robin gave no response. Instead, he swung at her with the long, sturdy, black bo staff he carried.

"Ugh!" she grunted as her stomach met the metal staff. She caught her footing and swung her arm up, her hand surrounded by her energy. The couch jumped up at Robin. Wordlessly, he rolled out of the way.

"Raven!" Starfire called out from the window. "Why are you attacking Robin? He is our friend! Has he not returned to be with us?"

In the midst of hand-to-hand combat with Robin, Raven managed to respond.

"Look at him, Starfire! Clearly, Slade found him before we did."

Cyborg rose from behind the couch and fired a few shots from his sonic cannon. "Sorry man, hate to do this again."

Robin backflipped a few times while holding the staff in his right hand.

"What does Slade want, Robin?" Raven demanded. Her voice trembled slightly, and her face was fallen. Raven looked at Robin with sunken eyes.

_This was never supposed to happen again. We were supposed to always be on the same side. _

Ever since Robin saved her from her prophecy, Raven had started to feel something unknown toward her leader. It was always there bothering her, like a hair in one's face. She didn't know exactly what it was, but she knew something was there. Every time he talked to her, she just wanted to let everything go and smile. _Smile. _It was something she did so rarely, and yet, when she was with him, that's all she felt like doing. A smile demonstrated inward and outward sentiments of happiness. Raven never dreamt in a million years that she would live to experience an emotion so strong. _Emotions._ For Starfire, expressing her emotions was her happy way of life. For Raven, they were so volatile that she could cause pain to herself and those around her in an instant of lost control.

Robin didn't respond. He jumped up and kicked Raven in the face, the contact making a loud slapping noise.

"Oh no!" Starfire gasped. She glared at Robin, but then her face fell. She lowered her hands, letting them fall to her sides. She stepped forward once, and then continued to take small steps toward Robin.

"Robin, if you need to talk to us, then that is all you need to do." She placed a comforting hand on his left shoulder.

Robin paused, expressionless. Starfire though she met his eyes for a second. But the instant later, he grabbed her arm and twisted it around his shoulder.

"Aaah!" she collapsed forward, her arm being yanked harshly. "Robin! Stop! You're hurting me!"

Raven rose from the ground, feeling her cheek.

_Who knew a foot slap could hurt so much?_

She watched Robin, waiting for a response. She expected him to stop. Even when he was Red X did he not actually severely injure any of us. Especially not Starfire. Of course not. He would probably prefer to be stabbed in the chest to directly hurting Starfire. So what was he doing now?

Robin, still clutching Starfire's wrist, grabbed her waist and swung her body around and released her, slamming her into a nearby wall.

"Ugh!" she cried as she forcefully flew into the wall.

"Not cool, Robin!" Beast Boy yelled, pushing the fruit bowl off his head. He transformed into a muscular tiger and leaped at Robin, slashing the air with a roar.

Robin jumped back instinctively, so quickly and cleanly. It was as if someone had commanded Robin to jump away right at that moment.

Raven stayed back, standing in the corner, watching.

_What is wrong with you?_

She watched them Robin continuously evade well-aimed attacks from the other two boys. His jumps, his punches, even his aura was characteristic of her masked best friend. But something had to be wrong.

Raven knew that Robin was notorious for grunting and yelling as he fought. If people approached a battle and heard someone yelling as he did, they'd know it was him. _But Robin had yet to make a sound. _

_Robin, something's wrong with you, and I'm going to find out what._

Raven stepped out of her thoughts and returned her focus to Robin.

Robin pushed Beast Boy backwards into Cyborg. They both landed on the floor with a synchronized "Ooof!"

Raven looked around at the mess. The floor was covered in rooftop debris. There was a gigantic hole in the ceiling! Starfire was out cold against the wall, and Beast Boy was lying upside-down on top of Cyborg in an opposite corner. That just left Robin and herself.

She sighed, mentally readying herself for an attack. Before her prophecy had been completed, this would just be like a regular combat practice. But now, it seemed like her heart was burning in hell.

Robin turned his head to Raven, their eyes connecting for a moment. But instead of attacking, Robin dropped a small gray ball at his feet. When it made contact with the floor, billows of dense, black smoke quickly poured out. Raven tried to keep her eyes on Robin, but the smoke was far too dense and dry. The dust particles surrounded her, her throat choking, suffocating without clean air. Her once dry, violet eyes burned and watered.

Luckily, a breeze blew in through the ceiling hole, clearing some of the smoke. Raven opened her eyes and looked around. But of course, Robin was gone without a trace.

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><p><strong>Oh look, a shiny blue link called "Write a Review"! You know what to do ;)<strong>


	4. Two Down, Three to Go

**Bird Brain Ch 4**

**A/N – **Sorry this is just a little late. I hadn't written much of Chapter 4 until the 19th (today)…the day I was supposed to update. But here it is! I better go start writing Chapter 5! In the meantime, enjoy this chappie!

**Disclaimer- **Don't own any characters or anything other than the idea for the plot for any of my stories. Never have, never will.

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><p>In the near complete darkness, Slade sat comfortably in his chair, facing various screens that showed his detailed plans.<p>

"I have a feeling that this plan just might work in my favor. With Robin at my command, I will have my prize soon enough." Slade reclined in his chair, a small smirk hidden beneath his bronze and black mask. He leaned forwards, picking up a small electronic chip. The chip had a light blue motherboard chip instead of a green one. Otherwise, it looked nearly identical to any other computer chip.

"So wonderful."

The sound of steady footsteps emanated from behind the master's seat. The metal on his shoes scuffed against the ground quietly.

"Back so soon, Robin?" Slade asked. "Did you not return with what I had asked of you?" Slade stood up and turned his body to face Robin. "I see, empty handed. Disappointing. I'll have to step in more. But listen to me. Tomorrow, you will bring me Cyborg, Robin. Understand?"

Robin nodded ever so slightly.

"Good boy." Slade put his hand on Robin's left shoulder for a moment, and then he removed it. "Things will go much more smoothly this time." Slade held up the small blue chip he still held in his left hand. He eyed it casually, his single eye glinting in the near darkness. "This will make sure of it."

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><p>The following day, back at Titans Tower, the Titans convened at the table around Cyborg's well-prepared lunch.<p>

Cyborg walked to the table, wearing a white chef hat. He held out two bowls, one filled with cooked linguini pasta, the other with a thick, steaming garlic and mushroom and cream sauce.

"Alright, lunch is now served," Cyborg said, placing the two bowls delicately next to each other on the table. "Don't all go for it at once, now."

"Sweet." Beast Boy plopped down in a chair. "I assume this is a vegetarian pasta, Cyborg?" He eyed the cybernetic Titan.

"You can bet your green butt it is," Cyborg replied, smiling slightly. Directly after, the corners of Cyborg's mouth sank. He looked at the three other Titans settling down at the table. _Only three._

"Thanks for preparing lunch today." Raven took a seat next to the redhead, Starfire, across from Beast Boy.

"Well, either you get some alien food or tofu for lunch, so I thought you guys as a whole would enjoy this pasta more than the other options."

Beast Boy pointed at Raven across the table. "Hey, why doesn't she ever do any of the cooking? She needs to participate in the culinary work."

Raven scowled at Beast Boy. "Wow, 'culinary'. That's a pretty big word for you, isn't it? Try these. 'I can't cook.' Remember the day my prophecy was completed? You all pretty much choked to death on my dry pancakes. I'll have you notice that I myself didn't eat any. There was a reason for that."

Beast Boy's finger crumpled as his brain processed Raven's words. "Oh, right." He suddenly shuddered.

"Beast Boy, is something the matter?" Starfire asked while heaping a good amount of pasta onto her white plate. "Raven, could you please pass the sauce?"

As Raven handed the alien the pasta sauce, Beast Boy responded. "Oh nothing's the matter, Starfire. My tongue just remembered how horrible Raven's pancakes tasted."

Starfire looked at him with a quizzical face. "I thought Raven's cooking was glorious! As I said then, it tasted like the incinerated glorka roaches of my home planet." She smiled, closing her eyes. "Yum…"

Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all glanced at her with weird expressions plastered onto their faces, but continued passing the food around.

There was a long silence, no words coming from any of the seated Titans. The only sounds present were those of metal forks on ceramic plates.

The heavy silence gave the Titans time to think about the sad truth. Robin was _gone._ Taken. Then he returned, not as a friend, but as a foe. He attacked them, and destroyed the part of their home where many memories were made.

A new memory had been created, but it was one every single Titan wanted to forget.

This particular silence bothered Raven, although she was normally accustomed to the quietude. She picked at a few strands of pasta before placing her fork down next to her plate. She placed her hands in her lap and sighed.

She didn't catch him. She hadn't even tried. Sure, Raven had searched for him after he blasted through the building, but by then, it was too late. Slade was there. He was ready, more ready than both Robin and Raven. He jumped at the opportunity and made it across the crevice. Looks like the Titans didn't.

Suddenly, Cyborg slammed down his metal fork, just narrowly missing his ceramic plate. He looked directly at Raven.

"Alright. I'm sorry, Raven, but I'm not going to sit here any longer and just think about what to do. I'm going to _do _something." He stood up, walking way from the table. He looked back at the other Titans, pausing for a brief moment. "If any of you care to join me, feel free." He turned back, and then proceeded out of the room.

Raven heard Starfire sigh beside her.

"Raven," Starfire said, "I believe friend Cyborg is correct. We must save Robin, and thinking has yet to get us anywhere." Starfire also stood up from her seat and followed Cyborg, exiting the room.

Raven returned her gaze to the only remaining Titan in the room: Beast Boy.

"Well," she said sadly, "are you going with them too?"

Beast Boy leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, sighing. He looked into Raven's eyes. The lonely, cold sorrow was clearly present and emanated from her body. Even Beast Boy, who wasn't at all the most sentimental or sympathetic guy, he could tell how she felt without her saying a word.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh sorry." He pulled his eyes away. "I was just thinking."

Expecting a sarcastic comment that would emotionally scar him for life, Beast Boy was surprised when Raven maintained her silence. "You're…not going to comment on that?" he asked tentatively.

"You're not going with Cyborg and Starfire? she returned.

Beast Boy smiled slightly. "I guess the answer to both of those questions is 'no'."

Raven returned the small smile, but the second Beast Boy saw it, it was gone.

The silence returned, although much lighter than before. This silence was like one at a school library, rather than at a funeral.

Raven shifted in her seat. "I just…I want to do something, very badly, even. I just don't know what." She closed her eyes, her head tilted down.

"I see your point that charging into Slade's lair wouldn't be effective and would put us all in danger, but at the same time, I understand Cyborg and Starfire's point. We need to do some searching."

"No."

Beast Boy looked at Raven with a confused face. "What? What do you mean 'no'?"

Raven glared, not necessarily at Beast Boy, but she was clearly upset.

"The question isn't 'Where's Robin?' We know where Robin is. He's wherever Slade wants or needs him to be. The real question is what Slade wants and what he's done to Robin."

Beast Boy looked at Raven, processing her words. "'What he's done to Robin'?" he finally asked.

"Didn't you notice Robin acting strangely when he attacked us here at the Tower?" she asked. "I certainly did."

"Um…wait I got this…" Beast boy looked up at the ceiling with his "thinking face", which happened to include a protruding tongue. "He kicked our butts like a normal Robin would, like how he did the last time he worked for Slade."

Raven shook her head. "It wasn't that."

"Then what was it? What was wrong with Robin? Other than the fact that he's working for Slade now," Beast Boy asked.

"Robin always makes a hell of a lot of noise when he fights, I'm sure you know."

Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah, you can hear him beating up the punching bag from the basement," he agreed.

"Good." Raven's faint smile returned. "But yesterday, Robin didn't make any noise. Not a sound."

"So he's mute?"

Raven's smile disappeared.

"Never mind. Let's just go tell the other two!" he said, jumping up from the table.

Raven also stood up. "Telling them what we've just discussed won't help anyone. If they want to _look _for Robin, let them look. We over here will figure out what Slade could want with Robin or with us. You in?" she asked, looking at Beast Boy.

"Two brains are better than one!"

"Don't you mean one and a little bit of brain dust?"

"Raven!" Beast Boy squealed, smiling hugely. "You're back!"

Raven stepped back a little, putting her arms up in mild defense. "Don't come hugging me now."

Beast Boy laughed and followed Raven to the couch to discuss Slade's intentions.

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><p>"Robin?" Cyborg wandered around near the piers from where Slade had taken Robin the first time. "You here?"<p>

Cyborg walked down the edge of the pier and sat down, his feet dangling off the side. He looked at the screen on his left arm. 4:03 pm. He sighed and looked at his reflection in the clear blue water below.

After leaving the Tower at 1:30, Starfire and he had been searching opposite sides of the city. Cyborg didn't have any luck on his side of the town.

He raised his arm and paged Starfire's communicator.

"Cyborg to Starfire. You find Robin or Slade yet?"

"No, thus far my search has been unsuccessful. I assume you have had the same luck?" Starfire's voice responded.

"Unfortunately, you're right. You want to call it quits at five o'clock?"

"Yes, I am starting to feel a little of the tiredness."

"Alright," Cyborg sighed, "but don't let your guard down just yet in case you find Robin."

"Of course. Then I will see you at five!"

On the other side of Jump City, Starfire closed her eyes, sighing, and shut her communicator. "Oh Robin, where are you? We need you back." She opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. She stood at the front of the Wayne Enterprises building, the place where she and the other Titans first fought Robin the apprentice.

Robin knew so much about each and every one of them, especially Starfire. As Red X, he knew how to disable and defeat each Titan with ease. If Slade had chosen Starfire to be his apprentice, she wouldn't really have any idea how to strategically take each of the Titans down. Luckily, she didn't need to.

Suddenly, Starfire heard noises around her. She gasped, stepping backward and tripping over the curb.

"Ooof!" she exclaimed, landing on her behind. She sat up only to see that she was surrounded by a dozen of Slade's drones.

"Cyborg!"

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><p>Meanwhile, back near the piers, Cyborg checked the time on his arm again. 4:36 pm. Cyborg sighed. "Only half an hour more of this." He groaned. "I probably won't find Robin or Slade here anyways."<p>

"Think again."

Cyborg turned around to see a black fist coming straight at his face.

"Augh!" Cyborg took the hit and tumbled backwards into a wall. He looked at his attacker. Robin had punched him. But it wasn't Robin who had spoken.

"Cyborg, I trust that you have met my apprentice as he is now, hmm? Mine." Slade said in his dark, eerie voice. "Robin, attack!"

At Slade's command, Robin instantly leaped up and roundhouse kicked Cyborg across the chest. Cyborg instinctively raised his arms in a crossed formation to block the strike.

"I don't wanna hurt you, Robin."

"Oh how touching." Slade commented, amused. To Robin, Slade commanded, "Hit him harder."

Robin swung again at Cyborg, aiming at his gut.

"Oof!" Cyborg fell back again. "Ugh," he groaned from the ground. Robin's attack had been much stronger.

"Not tired from walking around all day, are you, Cyborg?" Slade taunted, "I guess I won't be watching an entertaining fight then. What a shame."

"Don't start with me, man!" Cyborg yelled angrily, rising to his feet. "You want a good fight," he said, readying his sonic cannon, "I'll give you one."

"Robin?" Slade gestured towards Cyborg.

Robin took out three S-embossed explosive disks and chucked them at Cyborg.

"Aaah!" They exploded around the cyborg, the multiple explosions knocking him in various directions. "Ugh!" Cyborg grunted as he finally skidded on the ground. Cyborg groaned, slowly meeting unconsciousness.

"Robin, finish him."

Without a sound, Robin walked over to Cyborg and flipped him over. With a simple motion, Robin opened Cyborg's control panel.

Slade handed a black device to Robin. Robin took it and pressed a red button on its side. Between two metal prongs, a brilliant spark of electricity burst, illuminating Robin's face. Not a drop of sweat or effort in fighting Cyborg was evident.

Robin brought the device close to Cyborg's circuitry, giving it a light shock.

"Good. Now, bring him back. Cyborg will be next to join us."

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><p><strong>Awesome! Another chapter down! Now make me happy by submitting a review! <strong>**:)**


	5. Revelation

**Bird Brain Ch 5**

**Disclaimer – **NHM still does not own the Teen Titans characters or settings. If I did, you all could be watching this "episode" instead of just reading it. I certainly watch this in my head and translate it to you all into words.

**A/N – **Sorry I've been so sloppy. I'm still writing the chapters the day that I'm supposed to post. I've just been so busy. If I miss an update soon, I apologize. But for right now, enjoy chapter 5!

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><p>Not one. Not two. <em>Twelve.<em>

Starfire found herself surrounded by a dozen of Slade's drones in the middle of a deserted street.

"Cyborg!" she cried out.

The robot commandos closed in, all evenly spaced out around her.

Starfire glanced around the circle, pondering her next move.

_I must get out and warn Cyborg! If I am being attacked, they may also go after him!_

Little did she know, Cyborg, Robin, and Slade were already making their way back to Slade's underground lair.

Starfire stood in the center of the circle, carefully watching her attackers all at once. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one drone move his arm behind his back, hiding it. A long second later, his arm reemerged from behind; in his hand was a gray laser gun.

Starfire took no chances. Her body and mind filled with righteous fury and adrenaline, and her green eyes lit up with a sparkling energy. Her hands, now raised in a defensive position in front of her, followed suit. She shot a single starbolt from her right fist at the robot wielding the gun, instantly disarming him. The gun flew from his hand and began to melt as it sat on the ground a few feet from the robot.

The other eleven drones jumped on the bandwagon. Three of them literally leaped into the air, landing on Starfire on their way down.

From the ground, Starfire struggled underneath the weight of the three drones.

"Let go now, please!" she shouted, pushing one off. "Hah!" She shot her eye beams at one trying to get up. She wriggled free of the other two robots still trying to keep her down. Raising her arms, her hands formed a gigantic starbolt, a ball so vibrant with her green energy that one would be blinded standing ten feet away.

"Hraah!" She threw her arms and the massive amount of power straight down. The ground beneath her exploded with a grand show of light and energy. All the surrounding drones were forced back, away from the Tamaranian. When all the dust and green light subsided, Starfire stood alone in the middle of the street, panting slightly. She looked about her feet. Twelve robots lied lifelessly on the ground around her. She sighed.

Suddenly, an animated image of Cyborg and Beast Boy sitting at the table earlier that morning jumped into her mind.

Starfire gasped and grabbed her communicator. "I must warn Cyborg!"

She held the device to her mouth. "Cyborg! The robots that look like Slade attacked me! I believe it would be safer if we returned home now." She paused, her eyes darting back and forth, her body very wary of her surroundings.

"Cyborg?"

Static. Absolutely nothing.

Starfire's body caught sudden chills. Her lungs felt shallower, and the night seemed to become darker and longer with each ticking second. Cyborg didn't respond. "I must go assist Cyborg!" she shouted.

With a final look at the unmoving drones still lying about on the ground, Starfire shot up high into the sky, heading over to where Cyborg had sent himself to search.

A little while later, Starfire landed on the wooden dock of Pier 41. She looked around. The bay was quiet, the waves were settled, and not a wooden board was out of place. There was no Cyborg in sight.

Suddenly, Starfire's hands clenched and her breathing became harder. Just as Robin had felt on that fateful day just about two years ago, Starfire was now seething with anger directed at Slade.

"Why has Slade taken our friend? Where is Cyborg? Why has he disappeared? What are we doing?" Starfire shouted, stomping on the ground with a forceful grunt.

Pulling out her communicator again, Starfire checked the time. 5:20 pm.

"Raven and Beast Boy will be wondering of our progress today. But I do not want to inform them that I cannot locate Cyborg. They must help!" She sighed.

With that, Starfire's feet left the ground slowly. Sadness and worry played at top volume across her face. Her hair flowed slowly behind her. It had taken quite a while for her to feel something joyful enough to counter all the sadness she was experiencing.

Returning to the Tower about twenty minutes later, Starfire burst into the common room to find Raven sitting at the main computer and Beast Boy attempting to read a crumpled map. Raven appeared tired and distressed. She slumped in her chair, not sitting upright as she normally did. Starfire noticed Raven close her eyes her eyes for a moment, seeming to take a brief mental break. Raven then reopened her eyes, taking a second to refocus them, and began typing away again.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, sat backwards on the black 'U'-shaped couch, holding a large map upside-down. The map clearly had been crumpled up, reopened, stepped on, maybe thrown a few times, and then reopened once more. An innumerable amount of rips and crinkles were present.

"Ugh, how do you read this thing?" Beast Boy grumbled, flipping and turning the map in various directions before settling with the map right side up. "Ah, there we go."

"Friends!" Starfire called out from the main doorway, waving her arms frantically. "Trouble! Cyborg and I agreed to search opposite sides of town for a while, but then I was attacked by the drones that look like Slade, and after defeating them, I went to the area where Cyborg told me he was searching and—"

Beast Boy lowered his wrinkled map. "Whoa, calm down, Star! Where's Cyborg?"

Starfire could only give Beast Boy a sad face, slightly shaking her head.

"He's the trouble, isn't he?" From the front of the room, Raven pushed her chair back. "This has gone on long enough." Her eyebrows were lowered and her face showed visible anger. "We will not lose another Titan to Slade. Not anymore. Whatever he's doing, we need to stop it." She took a few steps forward. "We need to break Slade's grip on Robin." Raven turned away fro the other two Titans, lowering her head and closing her eyes. "Slade's done something to him and I can't live with myself if I don't know what it is."

Beast Boy got up from the couch and put a comforting hand on Raven's shoulder. "Don't worry, Raven. The three of us are still Teen Titans, and we will find out what's going on," he said, smiling.

"Okay," Raven said, turning back around to face her friends, "I've been thinking. Maybe we don't necessarily need to know why Slade's done what he's done, rather _how_ he's done it."

"If I recall, the Slade put tiny little robots into each of us and threatened to harm us if Robin did not obey his every command," Starfire responded somewhat calmly, walking down to take a seat on the couch. Her hands sat in her lab and she closed her eyes, sighing.

In her mind, a flash of red light overcame her. Atop the Wayne Enterprises building, Robin had attacked her, shooting her with a red laser. Even in Starfire's nightmares now, she still replayed that moment over and over. Sometimes in the middle of the night, she would wake up sweating bullets, just reimagining what happened. That nightmare had now become reality.

Raven nodded at Starfire's accurate description of the previous situation. All of a sudden, a thoughtful look came across Raven's face.

"But that didn't work, did it? Robin found a loophole in Slade's plan. Robin infected himself with those probes so Slade would have to destroy both Robin and us. Without that power over us, Slade didn't stand a chance."

Beast Boy sat on the couch next to Starfire. "Right, but where's all this summary getting us?"

"I'm still getting there," Raven commented, her eyes slightly narrowed. "So that particular strategy didn't too well for Slade. But we do know of a method that did work, for a while, anyway."

Both Beast Boy and Starfire looked at Raven with confused looks on their faces.

"I do not know—" Starfire started, shaking her head.

"I'm talking about Terra," Raven interrupted.

Beast Boy leaned back on the couch. His mouth held a clear frown. "What about Terra?" he asked harshly, a gruff tone suddenly present in his previously optimistic voice.

"I know this is still hard for you to hear, Beast Boy, but you have to listen to me. It's not as much about Terra as it is about Slade," Raven declared firmly.

Not hearing or seeing any negative response from the shape shifter, Raven continued. "When Terra began to disobey Slade, he activated her suit, right?"

Beast Boy sat up. "That suit had neural interface capabilities. He was directly controlling Terra through the suit when she didn't want to fight us anymore."

Starfire jumped in. "But the suit Robin is currently wearing does not seem to have those capabilities."

"Maybe it's not part of the suit," Raven realized. "Since partial neural control allowed him to control Terra, what's stopping Slade from creating something that could partially or completely control Robin? That would explain why he hasn't said a word to any of us since Slade took him. Robin wouldn't have the mental control to do so." Raven smiled at the end of her revelation.

Both Beast Boy and Starfire returned her smile.

"So we find out how Slade could be controlling Robin and go from there?" asked Beast Boy, who was scratching the back of his head.

Raven's smile got the tiniest bit larger. "Exactly."

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><p><strong>AN – **Ihope that wasn't too filler-y for you all. Either way, send me your thoughts about my story through a review! You know you want to. ;)


	6. Slade's Army

**Bird Brain Ch 6**

**Disclaimer – **NHM still does not own any of the characters or setting in any of her stories. Don't sue.

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><p>The sun crossed over the horizon, taking its beautiful sun rays and brilliant light with it. Soon enough, the all too familiar darkness set in. Slowly darkening, the sky above went from a deep blue to a cold, starless black. Hours passed. The night couldn't get darker; one couldn't see their own hand just inches from their face.<p>

The outdoor atmosphere did not differ too greatly from that of the shadowy, gloomy darkness of the world beneath the earth's surface. Underground, the world was quiet, cold, and eerie.

Steady footsteps rang out in the silence, approaching the middle of the vast, open area.

"Robin, bring Cyborg. It is time he joined us," Slade commanded to his apprentice, motioning him over.

Emerging from the darkness to Slade's right, Robin dragged the lightly unconscious cybernetic teen into the center of the dark area.

"Good boy. You are performing nearly perfectly. Fine technology this is, really." Slade held out his open hand. Sitting in the middle of his palm were two chips: the blue motherboard one that he had been examining before, and a tiny gray device. The device was very thin and extremely small. On the surface, it seemed very smooth and glossed, a small dome shape on top of a flat chip.

Slade closed a tight fist around his electronics and chuckled. "Genius." He looked at Robin again. "Apprentice, bring the gas mechanism as well. We will need to gas you and Cyborg to ensure your…loyalty…"

Bringing over the gas tank and attached mask just as directed, Robin set it down in front of his master. Robin lied down on the cold ground next to his former teammate.

Slade towered over them, still standing with a dark smile hidden beneath his mask. "Thank you, Robin. I knew that in time, you would see me as your master and be the perfect apprentice."

Bending down, Slade grabbed the mask and completely covered Cyborg's face, activating the gas tank. He watched the knockout gas travel down the wide, thick tube and into the mask. Slade grinned contently as he watched Cyborg's chest steadily move up and down. After a large dose of the gas, Slade stood up and retrieved a steel table, something that looked quite similar to a medical operating table. After locking its wheels and lowering the posts next to them, Slade returned to Cyborg. Attempting to neatly heave the large Titan onto the table, Slade grumbled. "I believe this would be immensely easier if I had Raven's telekinetic powers…"

After finally managing to get Cyborg properly situated face down on the operating table, Slade took out all of his tools. Multiple scalpels, sanitizing sprays, and wipes sat on the metal tray attached to the operating table. A bundle of suture thread and needles were in neat clumps next to the other tools. Lastly, a large needle filled with a transparent gel rested at the edge of the tray. Slade chuckled to himself as he eyed the materials. "Good think I at least went to medical school. It is a tremendous thing that I left." He looked over at the face down Cyborg and at Robin still on the ground. "Otherwise, I may never have gotten the chance to create such wonderful apprentices. An army. _My army._"

Thoroughly sterilizing his cutting scalpel, Slade began his work on Cyborg. Picking up the needle, Slade injected a coagulant agent into Cyborg to control the bleeding that would be soon to come. Then, Slade slowly cut a deep, long slit at the base of Cyborg's human neck, where the top of the spinal cord was. Slade quickly picked up the tiny gray mechanism and slipped it into the deep incision. Grabbing his suture thread and needles, Slade promptly began sewing up the cut he had made with his scalpel. Several minutes later, with his gloved hands covered in Cyborg's blood, Slade stepped away from the table and removed his gloves. Tossing them into the trash receptacle below his operating table, Slade slapped his hands onto Cyborg's shoulders. Pulling with great might, Slade managed to get the unconscious Titan sitting upright.

Now Slade examined the left side of Cyborg's head, the cybernetic side. After running her eyes over every detail of the technology, Slade chuckled. Right above Cyborg's left ear was a tiny gray button.

"Ah," Slade sighed, pushing it. Instantly, that side of Cyborg's head slid out like a CD drive on a computer. There were a few open chip slots. Slade grinned. "Perfect. That was much easier than I thought it would be. I was beginning to think that I needed to tap into your human system to get that compartment open." Retrieving the other computer chip, Slade carefully inserted it into the middle open slot. The chip fit into the slot perfectly. Slade pushed the cybernetic part of Cyborg's head back into place, securing it with a click.

Slade walked around the table, examining his work. "Everything is going according to plan." Slade turned to look at Robin. "Now, let's see if all is well. Robin and Cyborg, rise."

Instantly, the small dome-shaped device went to work inside Robin, sending tiny electric pulses across his brain and spinal cord, the former further stimulating the latter. Robin quickly rose to his feet, standing strong and tall. Not too long after, perhaps thirty seconds or so, the device newly implanted in Cyborg locked into its place at the top of the spinal cord. The large Titan hopped off the operating table and stood. Cyborg's human eye flashed open, and his cybernetic one was burning red.

"Cyborg, attack that wall!" Slade commanded, pointing at the wall behind him.

Without a vocal sound, just the noises of Cyborg's right arm being adjusted, Cyborg raised his sonic cannon and fired. The wall behind the three exploded upon impact.

There was a great smile on Slade's concealed face. "Very, very good. Voice control is online. Let's give your neurons a workout."

Slade stood silently with his hands behind his back. He watched Cyborg intensely. Cyborg reacted and grabbed Robin's ankle and swung him around, heaving the small teen over to the other side of the room. Robin landed safely on his hands, pushing himself upright with a flip.

"Very good, indeed! Let's try something else."

Slade now spread his attention to both of his apprentices. "To the wall, please."

Processing Slade's spoken and unspoken commands, Robin and Cyborg ran toward the wall, and then jumped, crossing paths. Robin threw three of Slade's explosive discs as Cyborg fired his sonic cannon at the wall. The wall collapsed in an even greater explosion, pieces of sharp rock flying everywhere.

"Your 'sonic boom' is quite fantastic to watch. Inter-neural communications are online. Slade approached the two. He took out one of his badges, his signature 'S' emblem clear even in the harsh darkness. He attached it to the center of Cyborg's chest. Smiling, he put his hands on the shoulders of the two former Titans.

"Everything is under control."

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><p><strong>AN – **I'm starting to get back into writing the chapters before the update day! Yay for me! Haha. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter! An exciting chapter is to come next week! Please leave a review if you read the chapter! PM me if you've been reading since the start ;)


	7. Burn

**Bird Brain Ch 7**

**Disclaimer – **I REALLY do not own any of the characters or settings of the Teen Titans. I only really own Angela and her son, if you want to call it that.

**A/N- **This is what you all have been waiting for! A HUGE chapter in comparison to my previous ones. I like this chapter, and as you can tell, it took a long time to write, but it flows and is so exciting, you'll be done and wanting more in a heartbeat.

Big thank you to saywhatman for teaching me crucial information about geese (you'll see in a little bit) and for being supportive of my story throughout. Thanks!

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><p>Raven sat down at the main computer early the next morning. There was more light coming from the screen than from the dreary sky above. She slapped down an empty notebook next to the keyboard.<p>

"Alright, let's see here. 'Neuroscience'." Typing her search into Google, she took a sip of her herbal tea. The steam warmed her face and she inhaled, feeling slightly more relaxed. Her eyes ran over the search results.

"Hmm. Wikipedia, some society for neuroscience, ooh, 'Neuroscience for Kids'. Beast Boy would enjoy that." Raven frowned, pausing. Her fingers flew across the keys once again, typing in a new search. "'Neural control.'" A new page of results flooded the screen. "'What is Neural Control'? Well, let's go find out."

After reading article after article about neurons, the spinal cord, the nervous system and synapses, Raven returned to the couch to take a quick nap so she could arise and actually be awake when her friends woke up. Raven settled in the middle of the couch, shooing Silkie aside. Silkie jumped off the couch and took refuge on the kitchen counter instead. Silkie happily gurgled. He knew Raven wouldn't be bothering him there any time soon.

Raven grabbed a pillow and laid down comfortably on it, snuggling her thick blue cloak around her neck like a blanket. She closed her eyes, inviting sleep. The sleep came uneasily, but eventually, it did. Along with something else.

The sky burned a deep, blood red color, spanning over the entire world. The only colors that seemed to exist after his ascent were red and black: the obvious colors of evil and death. That is, until Raven saw the colors of her savior's uniform: red, yellow, and green. Sure, Robin's uniform had red in it, but everyone had some evil in them…some more than others…Yellow shined brightly like a sunrise, the promise of a new day, a continuation of life. Green was the color of nature's being, which included everything that clung to life like a baby onto its mother's thumb. Together, the colors made the uniform of Raven's knight in shining armor, Robin.

"Yeah. It's the end of the world. But so what? We're still here—still fighting. Still friends," he had told her. Raven squirmed in her sleep.

Another image flashed into her mind. Robin stood at the edge of the rock, setting Raven down onto the ground. Suddenly, Trigon lifted the large rock they had been using as a cover and laughed. His voice shook the ground, sending little Raven to her knees. Cackling, Trigon shot a cataclysmic eye beam at Robin's feet. The once solid rock beneath them crumbled to bits. Robin quickly attempted to grasp onto something, anything to save himself, but all his hands touched was air. He descended in a screaming fall into what seemed like a pitch-black, bottomless pit.

"No! Robin!" was all that the horror-struck Raven could utter. Tears burned her eyes. As he had saved her, it was Raven's time to save Robin.

Raven was jerked out of her poor rest by the sound of a blaring alarm. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and wiping the sweat of her forehead, she slowly stumbled off the couch before finally managing to stand up straight after a few seconds.

The main doors to the common room slid open with a brief hiss as Starfire flew through them, also awakened by the intruding sound of the alarm. Beast Boy was second, naturally. He groggily trudged into the room, nearly tripping over the steps. He continued to the center of the room, dragging his feet on the carpet, surely accumulating a substantial amount of static electricity.

"Wha…hmm…*snore*…" he mumbled incoherently.

Raven, now awake, accepted the incoming call. "What's the trouble?" she naturally asked whoever was on the other side.

A tired, unfamiliar man's face popped up onto the screen. The man wore a bright yellow and red uniform, the characteristic red hard hat sitting perfectly on his head.

"Titans! We need you!"

A huge wall of fire burst up behind the man, nearly setting his jacket aflame. He jumped away instinctively.

Starfire gasped at the sight. "Where are you? We must assist!"

"No!" The fireman put up his hand to stop Starfire. "All of Jump's firemen are out here trying to contain this raging wildfire! But we just received a call about a large house fire sweeping through the suburban part of the city. We've got no more specialized firefighters for the job. We need you there, Teen Titans," he replied, looking at Raven.

"We'll be right there. Send over the coordinates. Good luck with the wildfire," Raven replied.

The fireman nodded and ended the communication.

A moment later, the coordinates of the house fire appeared on the screen.

Pointing at the screen, Raven declared, "Alright Titans, get ready to play with fire."

After slapping Beast Boy awake a few times, the three Titans took to the skies, headed for the suburban area of the city.

Beast Boy, flying as a goose, fell asleep innumerous times on the way. Lucky for him, geese can fall asleep while flying, as they rarely need to flap their wings anyways. Then again, being a goose or any other organism didn't stop him from hitting that lamppost…must have come out of nowhere…

The three arrived at the house. The raging twenty-foot fire had almost consumed half the building in an inferno. Raven stopped short when she felt the immense heat emanating from the blaze.

"Whoa. I can't go in there." She looked around. "Starfire!"

The alien girl in question flew up behind Raven. "Yes? I am here."

"I need you to go in there and search for survivors." Raven returned her gaze to the large fire. "It's a house. There should have been a family living here, sleeping still, but I don't see or hear anything…"

Suddenly, the flaming porch collapsed, the burning wood giving way. Raven jumped back instinctively and in surprise.

"Shit." She looked over at the now fully awake and conscious Beast Boy to see him morph into an elephant. He turned his head and pointed his trunk across the street. A large pond sat quietly completely free from the fire.

"Good idea."

Starfire approached the front door carefully, avoiding all the orange licks of fire that came dangerously close.

"Starfire, be careful! Beast Boy will stay out here trying to put out the fire," Raven yelled, pointing at the green elephant across the street spewing out water, "while I keep the building standing. You'll find any survivors and then get the hell out of there!"

Starfire nodded, and then proceeded through the doorway, the fire all around her nearly the same color as her hair.

Starfire proceeded down a long hallway, taking note of the stairs, kitchen, and living room. Nothing.

"Help…"

Starfire, earing the soft plea for help, gasped. Smoke suddenly clogged her lungs with the intake. She coughed furiously several times, her body shaking.

"Please…anyone…"

Hearing the cry again, Starfire blinked her eyes open. "Where are you?" she shouted in the direction of the quiet voice.

"In the…upstairs bedroom…" the soft female voice called out.

"I will be right there!" Starfire took flight, zooming back down the hallway to the stairs. She flew up them, hovering over the top step. She looked around with a worried expression on her face, unsure where to continue. "Hello?"

A very soft moan came from the second doorway across from the stairwell.

"Oh no!" Starfire rushed into the room, nearly throwing the door off its metal hinges. Starfire's eyes flashed around the ground, looking for any limbs or other human body parts. A stream of sweat ran down the side of Starfire's face. The heat was getting more intense, even for Starfire.

She spotted a pair of feet on the ground next to the bed. Getting down on her knees, Starfire heaved the large cabinet piece that had fallen on top of the person. "Pushing it off, Starfire started, "Are you…"

Her voice faltered as cold, gray, dead eyes of a young boy met her own.

"No…" Tears welled up in Starfire's eyes.

The boy, of just about six years of age, had soft blonde hair, though now it was completely covered in soot and dust. His eyes, clearly once bright blue, now held only gray sadness in them. His hands were relaxed at his side, his body extremely straight and still.

Starfire looked over at the cabinet that had crushed the boy's ribs, putting the scenario together in her head.

The boy had slipped out of bed when he noticed his room smelled like smoke. In his frantic escape, he accidentally pushed the dresser piece, which fell on him and squashed the boy's small, fragile rib cage.

"Hhh…help…"

Starfire blinked away the tears her eyes still held. She looked down at the boy again, hoping that what she had initially thought was incorrect. Her expression fell when she saw no difference.

"He…hello?" The female voice was a little louder that time, and more desperate.

Starfire stood up and laid a nearby blanked on the boy. She hung her head. "I am sorry, but I must go." Opening her eyes again, she raised her head. Walking out the door, Starfire redirected herself to the opposite facing bedroom.

There, she saw a woman sitting atop her king-sized bed, a circle of fire around the base of the bed.

The most predominant feature of the woman besides her dirty blonde hair and young complexion was the expression of sheer terror on her face.

"Oh good. Please help!" she cried, motioning to Starfire.

Starfire flew over to the woman, dodging erupting fames. She grabbed hold of the scared woman. The woman looked up at the woman with a darkened face.

"Come on!" Starfire carried the woman in her arms, flying at a somewhat low velocity. Starfire flew back down the hallway, passing the little boy's bedroom.

"Wait! No!" The woman in her arms cried out feebly. "My little boy! We must go save him!"

Starfire felt her tears return "I am…sorry…but he cannot be saved."

The woman looked up at Starfire with full, sad, blue eyes. "No…is he…?"

Starfire solemnly nodded.

As expected, the woman burst out into a scene of tears, the droplets even making Starfire's arm a bit wet.

"Please, let's just get out of here."

Starfire flew further down the orange-lit hallway, approaching the stairwell. She stopped in shock at what she was.

Slade stood at the bottom of the staircase.

Starfire gasped, inhaling a particularly large amount of smoke and dust. She began coughing again. Tears began to sting her eyes again.

"Who…who is that man? What is he doing in my house?" asked the woman.

Swallowing hard, Starfire answered. "A man you most certainly do not want to meet." Starfire focused her eyes in the dead center of Slade's chest. With a loud, empowered yell, Starfire shot a strong eye beam directly at the mercenary.

The woman cringed at the sight. "Can we please leave?"

Starfire didn't even respond. She flew past the fallen Slade and placed the woman in front of the main door. "Go! My friends are outside! There you will be safe," Starfire instructed the woman.

"Thank you!" The woman ran out of the doorway, not seeing Slade grab Starfire at the waist and slam her against a burning wall.

"Aaah!" she shouted, the intense fire starting to burn her sweaty skin. "You…will…release me!" she yelled, struggling against Slade's strength.

"I think otherwise." He grabbed her ankle and threw her back first onto the stairs.

"Ouch!" Starfire exclaimed as her bones slammed against the bottom steps. Her hands lit up in green sparks as she growled, glaring at Slade. She stood up and fired a round of starbolts at Slade, who dodged them fairly easily, despite being inside a burning building.

The ceiling and upper story began to creak. The fire had eaten away at all the supports in the structure. The house could come crashing down at any moment, even if Raven was holding up the building with her powers.

Slade looked up at the ceiling as well. He returned his gaze to Starfire only to see her open hand lunging forward at his neck.

Starfire held his neck against the fiery wall, her eyes burning with their own kind of fire.

"Did you set this fire? Did you mean to make these people suffer? Did you want to kill the little boy?" Starfire demanded.

Slade chuckled, his lone eye looking at Starfire's green ones. "You ask many questions. All I can say is this: yes, and I meant for a few other things to happen as well."

He quickly extended his arm behind Starfire's head. He brought it back, capturing the girl's head in his grasp. Slade slammed the right side of her head against the adjacent wall. Hard.

"Ugh!" she exclaimed in pain and surprise. Her unconscious body fell to the floor, sliding down the wall. Starfire lied crumpled at Slade's steel clad feet. A large burst of fire exploded overhead, sending a plank of wood to the ground.

"I feel that it is time to make our escape." Slade slung the unconscious girl over his right shoulder and proceeded to run out a back door. Just after Slade passed through, the door frame creaked and collapsed with a crash.

* * *

><p>"It's been nearly fifteen minutes! What's taking Starfire so long?" Raven asked impatiently, catching a falling piece of wood with her powers.<p>

Beast Boy the elephant stood across the street, sucking up pond water and attempting to put out the immense fire. He morphed back into a human, panting. "Man, why didn't God create an animal that can spew out water indefinitely? It would solve lots of the world's problems like droughts, dehydration, f—"

"Shut it and keep spraying water on the fire, Beast Boy!" Raven directed from across the street.

Beast Boy sighed, but transformed back into an elephant as instructed.

Raven squinted, once again directing her focus to the burning house. Was there some movement in the doorway?

The blonde woman, now covered in dust and soot, came running out the front door. Seeing Raven standing there, the woman leapt into her arms, snatching the Titan in a tight hug. The woman burst out crying.

"Your friend…she was fighting a strange man in there. Sh—she saved me, but not my little boy...my boy!" The woman erupted into an even bigger burst of tears.

Raven stared straight into the open doorway of the house, white-faced.

"No! The strange man must have been Slade!" She whipped around to look at her fellow Titan.

"Beast Boy! Slade must have set the fire! Now he's got Starfire!" Raven turned back to the woman. "What is your name?"

The woman looked up at Raven. "I'm…I'm Angela."

"Beast Boy! Watch over Angela!" Raven called. "Don't be afraid of the green elephant across the street," she told Angela, "he's my…team…friend."

Raven watched Angela run across to Beast Boy. "Stay safe," she whispered.

Raven approached the fiery house in a surge of power. She levitated a huge wave of water at the building, carefully breaking it up into streams that fell through the open windows and doorway.

"I'm going in."

She clenched her fist and ran into the house. "Starfire! Slade! Show yourselves!"

A burning beam fell from the ceiling, just missing Raven's head by several inches. It began to burn the carpet around her feet.

"Whoa."

The creaking intensified greatly. It seemed like something had picked up the house and was slowly crushing it in its hands or paws.

Raven's communicator beeped continuously. "Raven!" came a voice. "Raven! It's Beast Boy! The house is coming down! Get out of there!"

Taking a final desperate look around the house, Raven responded. "On my way out. Looks like Slade got away with Starfire…"

Raven jumped up and zoomed out the doorway as the support structure for the house completely gave out. Wood began falling from the ceiling like rain.

Raven landed across the street, settling down next to a crying Angela and solemn-faced Beast Boy.

They all watched the home crumble to its foundation, erupting in a final blast of flame.

Enraged, Raven shot out her arm in a last attempt at putting out the fire. The black wave of water came lower this time, not nearly as high as before. It washed over the remains of the house, finally putting the fire to rest.

"Well, looks like we're done here, right?" asked Beast Boy.

Raven sighed heavily, greatly disappointed. "Call Jump FD. They won't be happy to hear this at all."

Just then, a news truck drove up in front of the three.

"Oh my gosh," uttered an interviewer as she exited the vehicle, "what happened here?" A camera crew came out of the back. One man set up a tripod and placed a large camera on top and directed it at the newswoman.

Holding a microphone, the woman jumped in front of the smoldering remains of the house. "It's just in: the once burning house behind me seems to have just been put out by our own Teen Titans! Say Raven, how did you teen superheroes deal with a grand fire like this one? Were there any casualties?" She shoved the mike in Raven's face.

Raven politely pushed the mike away. "Sorry, the woman here really needs medical attention. You should tend to her."

After escorting Angela to the hospital and notifying a funeral service for the little boy, Raven and Beast Boy returned to the Tower, tired to the bone.

Beast Boy collapsed on the couch and flipped on the TV.

"Six year old boy dead in house fire in the suburban area of Jump city tonight" was the first thing he heard.

Raven, who was in the kitchen brewing herself a cup of tea, winced as she heard the newscast. "Beast Boy, do you mind changing the channel? I don't need any reminders of what just happened."

"Sure, Raven." He picked up the remote control and began flipping through channels.

Carrying her hot cup of herbal tea, Raven was advancing toward the door when Beast Boy interrupted her.

"Hey Raven? You okay?" he asked quietly, but thoughtfully.

Raven remained silent for a few moments; the sounds of the TV were the only ones present in the room. She slowly turned her head to Beast Boy.

"I feel like it's my fault."

"What is?"

Raven sighed, briefly closing her eyes. "All of it, even Robin's initial capture."

"It's not your fault that Slade has this super-whack plan."

"But it's my fault that we couldn't stop it in time."

Beast Boy frowned. "So you think that even with the two of us Titans, it's too late to save the others and stop Slade? That sounds like an insult to yourself. Earlier this year, do you remember what you did?"

"You _want_ me to remember that I obliterated the entire Earth?"

"Err, well no. Not exactly the part I was getting at." He shifted in his seat. "I was referring to your sheer power and will to defeat evil. You literally did the impossible, pretty much all by yourself."

"I appreciate the words, Beast Boy, but look at how things have been going. I…I don't even know how to stop Slade at this point."

Beast Boy rose from the couch and put his hand on Raven's left shoulder.

"I know we'll get out of this. We're still Titans. Still fighting. Still trying."

The uncanny similarity of Beast Boy's words to what Robin had said to her before touched Raven. She felt shallow tears begin to form in her closed eyes.

"Raven, are you okay?"

Raven looked up and tried to blink away her tears. "I will be. Thanks."

She turned and exited the room, leaving Beast Boy alone in the Tower's suddenly enormous common room.

Raven didn't go to her room just yet. She climbed the six flights of stairs before opening a hatch. She pushed it up and swung it back. She took a few steps forward before sitting at the edge of the rooftop. She sat cross-legged and placed her cup of tea next to her. She stared up into the moonlight.

_I just want things to be back the way they were before. A full team. Quirky Beast Boy, gleeful Starfire, enthusiastic Cyborg, and…_

Her thoughts faltered. The tips of her mouth turned down just a bit. She couldn't put one single adjective to Robin. He was everything: happy, angry, silent, loud, chipper, depressed, caring, obsessed, loving. He wasn't simple, just as she wasn't. He understood her from the first moment like no one else could. They dealt with each other maturely and appropriately, never stepping too far over the other's boundaries. Robin had gone through so much in his life, just as she had.

And that's why she loved him.

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><p><strong>AN – **Click the review button and type a few words. Thanks :) Tune in next week for the next installment of "Bird Brain"!


	8. There Is Hope

**Bird Brain Ch 8**

**Disclaimer – **I do not own the characters or settings in this story.

**A/N – **I am SO sorry I did not update last week. I had updated for seven weeks perfectly, and then for some reason, I had barely a page written by last week of this chapter…I wasn't even that busy. More preoccupied with other things. Oh well. I hope that this chapter does not disappoint.

Thanks to reader and reviewer **Smiles-X-Giggles** who gave me good suggestions and asked a great question. This "episode" (story) does take place after the last episode of the series, "Things Change". This is the first reappearance of Slade (a real Slade, not counting the droid that Beast Boy fought in "Things Change") since Raven's prophecy of Season 4. Good question.

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><p>Sleep didn't come easily. Tossing and turning for hours, flashbacks of the events that had passed in the several days popped into Raven's mind. She suppressed them, grimacing as she did so. When she relaxed, her own thoughts plagued her mind.<p>

_There has to be a way. A flaw in Slade's plan. I have to find it. No matter what it takes. I have to save Robin and the others. Now or never. All or nothing._

A single tear fell from Raven's right eye. It splashed onto her gray satin pillowcase, the puddle slowly spreading outwards, sinking into the fabric.

She had failed to save her friends, the same friends that had fought so bravely and with so much determination to save her from her father and from his deadly wrath. What was getting into Raven's way now? What was stopping her from saving her friends? Not even Beast Boy could say.

_They're coming for either Beast Boy or me next. I will not let them take either of us. We have to take the three back from Slade._

Raven scowled, stiffing a small sniffle. And then, last night, Raven had finally come to a realization: _she loved Robin._ The simple, four letter word explained all her unknown feelings, her comfort when she was with him, her sudden yet lasting urges to smile, the little swirling butterflies in her stomach she got when he smiled back, the unexplainable reason why she offered to take everyone out to the movies the week before so she could calmly sit next to him, the—

A loud thump and shrill shriek from Beast Boy came from the main room on the floor above. Raven's eyes popped open, her breath catching. She gasped in fear.

_Oh no, they're here and they've already gotten to Beast Boy!_

Raven clamped her eyes shut, taking a steady breath. Her eyebrows shot downwards, tipping at the inner edges toward her nose.

"No, not this time."

Raven threw the gray sheets off her body, and hopped into her boots, grabbing and securing her cloak at the same time. She flew out of her door and up the short flight of stairs to the hallway that led to the common room. She forced the doors open, its natural hiss louder and harsher.

"Beast Boy!" she yelled, her hands and eyes lighting up with pure energy. She directed herself at the source of the noise, ready to strike whomever dared take another Titan away.

_Who's it this time doing the dirty work? Slade? Cyborg? Starfire? Or Rob—_

Her thoughts halted sharply. The white power fled from her eyes as they focused on a large frying pan on the floor and the green boy clutching his right foot in pain, hopping up and down on his other leg.

Raven's empowered, slightly anxious face warped into one that included narrow eyes and a startling scowl. Her hands became fists, and she trembled with frustration.

"_Beast Boy!_" she roared, her scowl finally exploding with rage. "I wake up and think you were being attacked, only to find _this?_ What are you even doing?" she demanded the green teen.

"Oh," Beast Boy replied quietly, putting down his foot, "I was actually finishing up making breakfast for you…you seemed like you were having a particularly bad day yesterday." He pushed forward a steaming plate of a fried egg and a piece of toast. Next to the plate was a hot cup of Raven's favorite tea.

Raven felt her stomach drop. Had she really just yelled at Beast Boy for making noise when he was actually cooking her breakfast?

"Oh…" was all the shocked and slightly guilty-feeling Raven could say at first. After a few long and awkward seconds, Raven found her words again. "Thanks, Beast Boy. I-I shouldn't have yelled. I-I'm sorry."

Hearing Raven's sincere words, Beast Boy's ears perked up a little bit, a smile flashing onto his face. "No problem, Raven, it's okay. I understand. Here." He put a metal fork next to the plate.

Raven picked up the utensil and plate. "Really, thank you. You didn't need to cook me breakfast, especially eggs."

Beast Boy chuckled. "Heh, it's okay. I'm fine if they're unfertilized eggs. I mean, in nature, they just go bad or are eaten by other animals, right?"

The tips of Raven's mouth turned up just a touch. She nodded at her friend and took her breakfast back to her room.

* * *

><p>"Ugh…" Starfire moaned as she slowly peeled her large eyes open. Her vision at first appeared blurry, the world she perceived unclear and cloudy. There seemed to be a tint of gray throughout her vision. Starfire's attention was suddenly directed at her legs: wobbly, exhausted, thin feeling. Her knees trembled, suddenly aware of the weight they supported. Her head throbbed, her temples pulsing with pain as well as blood She tried to cool her warm head with her hand, but she couldn't raise her arm to a ninety-degree angle; there was something in the way…<p>

Starfire blinked furiously, trying to clear her foggy vision.

"Wh…where am I?" she asked quietly.

"You are in a high-density polymer compound tube, Starfire."

The girl gasped. "Slade! What do you want from me? Where are my friends?"

"Your questions will do you no good. Instead, I need to ask some questions of you."

Starfire growled loudly, even heard through the thick polymer material.

"Whatever you do or ask, I will not serve you. You are a bad man, and I will only do what is right!" she yelled, her voice slightly muffled.

Slade began walking around her, seeming to examine her like a scientist would a specimen. He ignored her outburst, continuing to pace around the gray-tinted, narrow tube.

"Tell me, Starfire, how your powers are controlled."

Confusion briefly swept over Starfire's face. Her eyebrows raised and she lost her words for a moment. "Why do you want this information?"

"That is solely for me to know."

Starfire shook her head and turned it to the side, attempting to cross her arms as much as she could in the tight, narrow space. "I cannot disclose that information."

Slade turned around, contemplating. A moment later, he revolved back around to face Starfire.

"Robin, Cyborg! If you both could join us…"

From the darkness, Robin and Cyborg both emerged. Still and silent, the two approached Slade from opposite sides.

Starfire's gaze ran between her two former teammates.

"Friends!" she exclaimed, "Do not serve the evil Slade! Please, you must attack!"

"Silly girl," Slade chuckled, "they will not answer to you. They will only serve me forever. Now, let us try this again Starfire. How do you control your…amazing…powers?" Slade tried.

"Your flattery will not make me tell you," Starfire persisted.

"No? Well, what about now?" Slade motioned at the two of his minions, making a waving motion, something like a rainbow. But the result was anything but colorful and pretty.

Immediately, both Robin and Cyborg dropped to the floor. Their entire bodies and skin began to turn red, visible even from the outside. Their red blood cells were being attacked; the device inside them had released the erythrocyte-demolishing probes at Slade's simple command. Silent killers for silent victims.

Starfire gasped, shocked at the sight. "No! Friends!"

Slade chuckled, a smile lurking on his hidden face. "There is no stopping the inevitable this time unless you tell me how you control your powers. Tick tock, Starfire, your time is running out."

Starfire looked at her friends writhing about on the ground. Her heart sank, her body trembled, and a small whimper escaped her mouth.

"No…"

"Yes. Look at it, Starfire, drink it in. You know what you must do," Slade pressured, his eyes locked on the girl. He had to pick up on any movement, any kind of signal that could trigger her formidable powers. He needed to know what controlled those magnificent starbolts, those forceful, green eye beams, that utterly inhuman strength…

Starfire looked up at her friends, her eyes wide with worry. Her eyes shifted from her friends to the overlooking mercenary.

"Do you need a little more…motivation?"

All of a sudden, the red splotches visible from the outside of Robin and Cyborg's skin became brighter, their muscles convulsed and tightened, their cells inside being greatly damaged.

"Okay…"

Slade looked at Starfire with a curious glance.

"Hmm? What was that? Can you say that a little louder?"

Starfire, her face showing utter dejection, submitted to the leader. "I will tell you," she whispered, "just please do not hurt my friends any longer."

"Then tell me now."

Starfire took a final glance at her friends. She bled on the inside with fear and worry. "My powers are controlled by my emotions."

Slade's once content expression warped into a discouraged one. "Your sentiments enable your powers?"

"Yes, they do. Is that not the information you desire?"

"That is most unfortunate…"

Starfire glared at Slade. "I gave you the information you asked for. Stop hurting my friends!"

Slade sighed and looked at his apprentices. "I am a man of my word."

Instantly, the brilliant red in Robin and Cyborg subsided, and they both collapsed on the ground, breathing very heavily. With every breath, their bodies sucked life back into their systems.

"Now, for your part." Slade walked over to the enclosed narrow tube in which Starfire stood. He flipped a switch on its side and stepped back.

A thick, viscous liquid poured from the top part of the tube. It had the same color as the tube, a grayish color. It surrounded Starfire, enveloping every single part of her body. The liquid slowly rose up, reaching the top of the narrow tube. Starfire was entirely engulfed by the slow-flowing fluid.

Starfire's struggles became more and more futile as her arms and legs began to feel heavier and heavier. Soon enough, her limbs were dead weights. Her knees trembled again, wanting to give out, wanting to surrender, but the narrowness of the tube prevented them from doing so.

Slade walked up beside the filled tube and chuckled. He pressed a black button on its side.

Immediately, the tube split in half and its contents poured out. Amongst the mass of fluid, Starfire lies splayed out on the ground, groaning slightly.

Slade got up and retrieved a substantially large sharps needle. It was filled with a thick translucent fluid. Slade bent down and injected it into the vein in Starfire's limp right arm.

Her body being numb, Starfire did not feel the pain of the shot. Just thirty seconds later, Starfire's eyelids began to droop, getting closer and closer to shutting.

"No…I must…fight…" Starfire mumbled. But it was well too late.

The numbing liquid and the knock out fluid injected into her had taken their tolls. She fell into unconsciousness, her eyes seeing the last of the world that they would consciously see for a while.

Slade opened his palm to reveal a light orange, domed chip. He stared at it for a moment.

"She will not have her powers, but a human body fighting for me is better than nothing." He carried her to the operating table, placed her delicately on top of it, and began anew.

Several hours later, Slade stood before his still growing army. "Robin. Cyborg. Starfire. Three of the city's most valuable assets under my control. I don't know why I took silly Terra under my wing instead of enacting this ingenious plan. My army shall be truly invincible…once it is complete."

Slade walked to the middle of the former heroes. "To Titans Tower. Bring me back Beast Boy. We reach the end of this plan. Soon, I will have my ultimate control."

* * *

><p>Raven sat alone in her dimly lit room with a cup of cooling herbal tea. She sighed to herself.<p>

"How could all of this have happened? How did I let it happen? We are a better team than this. Or we should be. Slade's ripped us apart before, but…never like this." Her relaxed face turned into a scowl, her eyebrows moving downwards. Her nails attempted to dig into the china cup she held. "I still don't know what that crazed psychopath wants. Maybe if Robin were here, he'd be able to figure it out and form a plan that could get us out of this."

She brought the cup to her soft, pale lips and took a long sip. She felt the hot stream trickle down her throat, the warm sensation overwhelming. She closed her eyes and sighed.

"Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, we need you back…"

She reopened her eyes and glanced at her half-empty cup. Robin's upside-down reflection stared back at her.

Raven gasped in shock and dropped the cup, the tea spilling onto the soft black carpet. Raven looked up to see Robin standing with Slade's bo staff in hand outside her large window.

"Aaah!"

Raven whipped her head towards the sound of Beast Boy's shrill yell.

"Looks like you brought some company, didn't you, Robin?"

Not expecting a response, Raven few out of her room in search of Beast Boy. She heard her window shatter behind her into pieces as Robin burst through it.

"Beast Boy! They're—"

As she burst through the common room's doors, the sight of Cyborg sending a harsh fist to Beast Boy's poor face welcomed her.

Beast Boy grunted and tumbled on the floor.

"Ooof! Yeah, I know they're here." He got up and dusted himself off before morphing into a velociraptor. He growled and bared his sharp dinosaur teeth at Cyborg. Beast Boy charged the large former Titan, biting and chomping at the air fiercely.

Raven, still at the doorway, looked over to see a grounded Starfire also struggling to keep Beast Boy's claws and jaw away from Cyborg and herself.

Starfire now donned a split black and orange top and black skirt. The green jewel on her neck plate had been replaced with a smaller version of Slade's classic insignia.

From behind, Robin silently approached and slammed the small of Raven's back with Slade's sturdy, black bo staff. The hit sent Raven crumbling to her knees. She winced and looked up to see the tip of the staff coming directly at her face. She jerked away and rolled a few inches, just enough to escape the single attack. Flipping herself onto her back, Raven raised her legs and pushed them forward into Robin's chest. Robin fell back, his bo staff clattering away behind Raven. The empath raised a wall of dark energy, sealing Robin out of the room. She moved to the middle of the main room.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Raven shot a double column of her power at Cyborg and Starfire. The energy split and hit its targets in the chests. Both Cyborg and Starfire subsequently took a brief trip into the air.

Raven ran to Beast Boy and offered him her and, helping him up. "Come on, we have to fight them and see if we can snap them back to reality," she said.

With those words, Raven noticed some movement from her left peripheral vision. She glanced over to see Robin on his grappling hook blast through the main window.

"Ugh!" Now it was the Titans' turn to take an air trip.

Cyborg and Starfire had both risen and were already lunging at Beast Boy when he rose to his feet. Starfire threw multiple fast punches at a green tiger, while Cyborg loaded his sonic cannon.

Robin stood before Raven, empty-handed. The bo staff was still lying on the floor fifteen feet away, with the super-powered empath as an obstacle. No way he was going to get that weapon now. Robin simply stood in a defensive stance, his blank eyes locked on Raven.

Seeing him watching her, Raven frowned.

_Why don't you attack? Cyborg and Starfire seem to be pounding the crap out of Beast Boy. So why don't you attack me? Isn't that what Slade wants? The Teen Titans to be annihilated?_

Robin did not move a muscle.

Raven snapped. "I am done with this! I am done with Slade's plan! I can't take this anymore!" In her fit of rage, Raven raised her right hand and slapped Robin. Hard.

"Ugh!" Robin's face warped into a grimace for the shortest moment, his face forced to the side.

Raven gasped so suddenly, the whole world seemed to fall silent. Her raised hand crumpled. "Did you just…grunt?"

For a long moment, Robin continued to face away from Raven's own. The suddenly, he snapped his head back to her and sent his fist into her face so fast, she hadn't even seen him lift his arm.

"Aaah!" Raven tumbled backwards, her chest hitting the floor.

Meanwhile, Cyborg held Beast Boy in his human form in a tight chokehold.

"Let…me…go!" Beast Boy forced out, managing to slip out of Cyborg's grasp by transforming into a snake. He promptly changed into a roaring bear and clawed at Cyborg.

Unfazed, Cyborg clamped Beast Boy's mouth shut with his hands, pressing the bear down. Cyborg then slammed Beast Boy's head into the wall with all his might. Beast Boy changed back into his human form and moaned, passing out.

Raven groaned from her spot on the floor about ten feet from Beast Boy. She pressed herself up to a resting position on her elbows.

"He grunted. He made noise. He…he's in there…" Raven glanced over at Starfire, who was standing over Beast Boy with clenched but bare fists. "And Starfire! Her powers are controlled by emotions! Maybe there was a flaw in Slade's plan after all. I haven't seen her throw a starbolt or fly a foot yet. Slade can't deal with emotions."

Raven managed to push herself off the ground and stand on her feet only to see Cyborg carrying an unconscious Beast Boy out of the room. Starfire ran out after them. Robin was nowhere to be seen.

Raven scowled, her anger reignited.

"Oh no you don't."

She took off flying after Cyborg and Starfire. They burst out of the Tower at its base, creating an explosion that ruptured the front door. Bits of metal and wood flew everywhere. Cyborg began to run across the land bridge with Beast Boy in tow.

Raven followed them, her mind set on only one thing.

"If Slade wants a final battle with me, he's got one."

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><p><strong>AN – **Hope you enjoyed this week's chapter of Bird Brain! Please leave a review, you know pretty much that all writers love receiving them :D


	9. The Prize

**Bird Brain Ch 9**

**Disclaimer – **Nope. Don't own TT even after all this time of obsessing over it. DC Comics and Warner Bros. own them.

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><p>Near complete darkness panned across the entire area. The faint light emanated from the small, dim table lamp Slade had on his desk. The air was cold, the sun never reaching the depths underground.<p>

Slade reached for the communications device clipped to his belt. Holding it up to his mouth, he spoke firmly.

"Cyborg, Starfire, hurry Beast Boy here. We must have enough time to prepare him before Raven approaches. Robin! Keep Raven away for an appropriate amount of time. I await Beast Boy's arrival."

Removing his finger from the button, Slade reclined a bit in his sturdy chair. "If all goes well, I shall have my prize by the end of the day. Welcome to the army."

* * *

><p>"No!" Raven yelled after Cyborg and Starfire. "You will not take Beast Boy! You will turn around and fight!" She inched closer and closer to them, Cyborg's shoulder almost in arm's reach.<p>

From above, Robin stood atop Titans Tower, black grappling hook in hand. He dove off the roof, doing an acrobatic flip in the air. While freefalling, he shot the grappling hook through the air and into the broken open main window. The hook latched onto one of the ceiling supports, softening his descent. The line pulled taut, and Robin soared through the air in a magnificent curve before landing right in front of Raven and slamming a punch into her face.

"Ooof!" Raven tumbled backwards before coming to a stop on the black asphalt. Her palm flew to her forehead "Ow." Removing her hand from her head, she took a fighting stance, locking her eyes with Robin's.

"Robin, I don't want to fight you. I don't have time. Move."

Robin moved all right, but not the way Raven wanted him to. He whipped out the retractable bo staff from behind his back.

"Well I guess this is a time when actions speak a lot louder than words."

Robin came at Raven with his bo staff, swinging it with precision. Raven dodged the staff, rocking backwards and side to side. Focusing on the staff, Raven flung some of her soul into it, concealing the weapon in her black energy. She pushed her arm out to the right, casting the bo staff out into the air. Both Raven and Robin's eyes followed the staff's projectile motion until it splashed down into the water. Raven's glance returned to Robin; she prepared for his next move. Robin flipped up backwards and landed with another retractable bo staff in his left hand.

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Even as a zombie, Robin, you're damn smart." She sent a small beam of dark energy into his chest, forcing him backward.

Raven flew up and past the fallen bird. "Alright, Cyborg, where'd you go?" she asked the air.

* * *

><p>"Bring me the boy, Cyborg."<p>

Hearing the metal clad apprentice approach the area, Slade motioned at him.

Cyborg walked over and placed the groaning Beast Boy on the steel operating table in front of the master.

"Not a moment too soon, Cyborg. I expect things done more quickly now that there are three of you under my control. Be ready for Raven's arrival. You as well, Starfire."

The two mentioned moved to the entrance of the lair to stand guard.

Slade turned around and looked down at his subject. He picked up the gas tank and secured it onto the green Titan's face.

Suddenly, Beast Boy's eyes popped open. He gasped when he saw Slade towering over him.

"Aaah!" Beast Boy screamed. Instinctively, he transformed into a bear, the contraptions attached to him breaking free.

"No! Apprentices!" Slade yelled, backing up.

Whipping around, Cyborg and Starfire processed their master's command and jumped into action. Cyborg ran and leaped onto Beast Boy, trying to pin him down. Starfire ran full force into the standing bear, knocking them all over. Beast Boy roared with fury, slashing at Cyborg's chest. The bear rolled over and pushed Starfire away.

There was a sharp "pew" sound, and then everything went quiet. Beast Boy's eyes rolled back, closing. A moment later, he collapsed forwards, reverting back to a human. A dart needle stuck out from his back.

Slade lowered his tranquilizer gun and chuckled darkly. "It's a good thing I kept this, isn't it."

With Starfire's help, Slade re-situated Beast Boy on top of the operating table. Slade knelt down and examined Beast Boy's chest. "Good. Still breathing. I despise when the dart punctures the wrong nerves."

Now completely unconscious, Beast Boy lied still as Slade placed the gas mask over him once more. "Just so we don't have any 'outbursts' from you anymore."

Slade promptly began his surgical work, injecting the coagulant into a large blood vessel in Beast Boy's left arm. After the needle was empty, Slade rolled Beast Boy onto his stomach. Sanitizing the all too familiar scalpel, Slade began cutting, the blood pooling down and around Beast Boy's neck and shoulders.

"Hmm, I was beginning to wonder if his blood was green as well. I guess not."

Not fifteen minutes after he had begun his work on Beast Boy, Slade placed the bloodied scalpel and suture needle down.

"We welcome another into my army."

A loud bang rang out from the entrance of the lair. A dense cloud of dust rose into the air, a shower of rock fragments raining down.

"And I'll take them all back." Raven stepped into the lair, her eyes narrowed.

"Ahh, well, well. What do we have here?" Slade said with a darkly humorous tone.

"There's no time for your stupid questions now. I'm here to stop you. No matter what it takes." Raven spat out the last sentence through tightly gritted teeth.

"That sounds like a threat, my dear."

Raven kept her eyes locked on the villain. "I can make as many threats as I want. You of all people should know that I could fully carry out anything I say."

"Oh I am fully aware of that. Very aware. That's why I had to remove your friends from the picture. There would be no other way for me to get you alone like this," Slade calmly replied, taking a step towards her.

Raven stayed put. "I'm not afraid of you, Slade, remember?"

Slade chuckled. "I know. I don't want you to be."

"What do you want, Slade? Why have you enslaved all of my friends?" Raven demanded.

"You're the smart one, Raven."

A wave of silence hit her. After a moment, she responded. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it logically. What have I done with your friends?"

"You really want to play this game? I have ways with the mind, you know."

"I am fully aware."

Pausing for a moment, Raven looked past Slade and spotted her green friend. She gasped to see Beast Boy's dry blood covering the side of his neck.

"What are you doing to him? Do you plan on doing the same with me?"

"Absolutely not. That would be a waste of a perfectly good apprentice."

Raven stepped back, stunned. "…Apprentice? You want me to be your new apprentice?"

"Raven…"

"Why do you want me? Why not Starfire? She's much stronger than me. That is, when she has her powers." Raven smirked, seeing Slade's slight reaction to her knowledge.

"Too naïve. Too resisting. All she cares about is fitting in and protecting her friends. I can't have that."

"What about Cyborg? He's smart, strong, and second in command. Why did you not want him as your active apprentice?"

"Cyborg could have been a fair apprentice, I'll admit. But he didn't fit my…style…enough."

"Beast Boy?" Raven stepped to the right, starting to encircle Slade.

"You're kidding me."

Raven had seen that coming.

"And Robin?" she continued.

"Don't make me regret what I said about you," Slade sighed.

"So what am I, your last resort?"

Chuckling, Slade moved to accommodate Raven's movement. "Far from the truth, Raven."

"It's not my birthday anymore, Slade. You shouldn't be after me."

"It may not be your birthday anymore, but it just so happens to be mine. October 13th. Fitting, isn't it? And I fully intend on getting what I want."

Raven scoffed. "And what's that?"

"You as my apprentice, leading your former friends as my, and subsequently your, army."

"I'll never fight for you," Raven forced, moving her hand down in a slicing motion. "Whatever you've done in order to control my friends, it won't keep me from stopping you." Raven's hands lit up in black spheres of energy.

"Quite harsh of you to say, isn't it? You don't even know what I've done. Sounds to me like you're claiming Robin was weak in submitting to me in order to save his little friends. Isn't that right, apprentice?"

Raven's eyes lit up with a burning white anger. "Stop it! I am not your apprentice. I never will be."

"Oh?" Slade asked, humor lying beneath his serious words. "What more do you have to fight for? To _live for?_ All your friends have joined me. You know they want you to do the same."

"That's a lie!" A chunk of rock suddenly burst out of the ground beneath Slade's feet.

Slade sailed through the air for a moment before noisily landing about ten feet back. He grunted with the impact, but rose to his feet once more.

"They did not 'join' you. You 'took' them. Snatched them away."

"So I did. But look, Raven. You were ready to give up the whole world, for what? Your friends didn't want you to. Perhaps it was not Robin that was weak. Perhaps it is you."

"NO!" More shards of rock burst up from the ground around Slade's feet.

Briskly, Slade avoided each piercing pillar and jumped out of the trap's mouth.

"You really think that attacking me will do you any good?"

"You're human now, remember? It will be great when I annihilate you right here, right now," Raven spat.

Slade seemed to smile, the change noticeable in his dark brown eye. "Even more so than Robin, you and I are very much alike. Resistant. Strong. Solitary. Powerful. Worthy."

"Don't glorify yourself, Slade."

"But like Terra, you need to learn discipline."

"Don't ever tell me what to do," Raven muttered threateningly, her voice low and hushed.

"Get used to it, my dear."

Slade's single eye shifted to look into his peripheral vision. "I believe Beast Boy is fully prepared, yes?"

Raven looked at Slade, her stare boring holes with her glance's violence.

"You…you stalled me…"

"It was very easy. You had lots of emotions to liberate." Turning around, Slade commanded his army.

"Weaken and capture my prize."

* * *

><p><strong>AN – **Apologies for a somewhat shorter chapter. It was hard to know when to stop for this last part of the story. Hope you've all enjoyed the story thus far! Please leave a review if you've made it here from the beginning! :D

**NOTE: Next week I will be very busy and probably will not be able to update. Expect and update on April 15th, at the soonest. Sorry about that. **


	10. Under Control

**Bird Brain Ch 10**

**Disclaimer – **I do not own nor intend to profit from this or any of my other stories. I only own the plot idea.

**A/N – **Thank you to reviewers **The Amethyst Eyes **and **"Darkempath7"** for your support! As for **"Darkempath7"**'s question about why Raven does not call for backup, I hope you'll see the answer soon enough. Also, if you still have any lingering questions about the chapter or story as a whole, PM them to me or write a review in them so I can clear things up. I do not want any confused fans. :D Anyways, I proudly present the last main chapter of this story! Read on!

* * *

><p>The three apprentices closed in on Raven, forming a wide semicircle around her. Raven backed up, giving herself plenty of space to plan her next action. She glanced around, noting her possible strategies for her current situation. Lowering one hand, Raven felt something brush against the inside of her right arm. Glancing downwards, she saw what it was. Her Titans communicator. Something inside her wanted to call for backup. Raven could fend off her former friends…no, her <em>friends, <em>the _Teen Titans,_ long enough for Titans East to arrive and help. But she was uneasy. There was something else that told her otherwise. She had to do this herself. Raven squeezed both of her fists tight.

It was personal.

Her friends had saved her by themselves, so it was up to her to repay them for their courageous deed. No backup. She would only use the sheer power of the Raven within her. She had eradicated Trigon, the incarnation of pure evil. Surely she could defend herself and prevail in her current situation.

Raven prepared her hands with black balls of power, glaring at Slade. "It doesn't matter how many you have on your side. I've still got you."

"On the contrary, Raven. I've got you."

Unseen from behind her came Robin, a rounded fist as a hand. His fist met Raven's back with a loud slapping noise, forcing her to the ground.

"Aaah!" Raven exclaimed in shock. She rolled onto her back and raised her left hand. Her powers dislodged a large boulder, and she sent it hurtling at Robin. It smacked him in the gut, taking Robin with it on its path across the area. Raven switched her attention to Cyborg, who was now coming at her like a speeding bullet. He fired a well-aimed sonic cannon shot at her, the shot managing to clip her leg. Raven tumbled down with a grunt and glared at Cyborg.

_They don't know who you are. They don't remember they're Titans. So don't hold back. _

Raven winced, clamming her eyes shut.

_Just keep them alive._

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" she yelled, a large ball of crackling energy forming between her hands. Gritting her teeth, Raven released the tremendous power at Cyborg, who was not very lucky to be on the receiving side of the blast.

Beast Boy was next to attack. As a tiger, he leapt up and slashed at Raven with great agility and strength. His sharp claws tore through the thick material of Raven's royal blue cloak.

"You are so repairing this, Beast Boy," Raven muttered in a low voice. She threw some of her soul into the green tiger, and hefted it at the rising Robin.

Starfire was the only one to stand before Raven now.

"Alright, Starfire. Just you and me. Show me what you've got."

Expecting her friend's hands or eyes to light up with green energy, Raven quickly prepared a shield if she needed it. Starfire raised her clenched, bare fist and swung at Raven. Dodging easily, Raven swept her foot under Starfire's feet, knocking the alien onto her back.

Looking at Slade, Raven called out. "I still don't fully understand why you want me as your apprentice."

Slade sighed from the distance. "Let me enlighten you. During your fight with your father, I witnessed great power from you. I was truly impressed. All this time, I really had no idea of this wonderful power lurking inside you."

"You want my power, then."

"Aren't you a smart one…"

Raven motioned to her friends. "So why do you need them? _How_ exactly are you controlling them so…completely?"

"Within each of your pesky little friends is a tiny device that ensures my control. All I have to do," he said, putting a finger to the side of his head, "is think." Slade reclined back in his hard chair. "Shame. Starfire seems to be quite pathetic without her powers, even under my supreme control."

Raven's eyes widened. A fast smile jumped onto her face before she could fully suppress it. But it didn't matter.

"Thank you for reminding me, Slade. You've been such a help."

Instantly, Raven took off and flew out of the lair. She knew how to fix this. She knew that the emotions were key. If she somehow got her friends to feel something so strong, to feel raw emotion, maybe she could snap them back into reality. At this point, it was all she had.

"No!" Slade cursed himself for making that fatal comment. He hadn't been aware that Raven also knew how Starfire's powers were controlled. "I may have just killed my own plan. Shit." With his face stone cold and his glaring eye, Slade commanded his army. "Bring her back to me at once! There will be no more complications, correct?"

As a confirmation, the four ran out of the lair, leaving the masked mastermind alone to grumble in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Raven zoomed across the cool water, ripples fluttering wildly beneath her. She looked straight ahead, past the darkening sky and mist from the water. Her eyes were set on Titans Tower.<p>

Flying through the broken window, Raven landed on the soft common room carpet.

"Alright, what can I take that will snap each of my friends back into reality?" She looked around the room, her eyes sitting momentarily on the fridge. "Hmm, everyone does love food…" Raven spotted Silkie in the corner of the room, sleeping on a folded towel. Raven smiled, warmth filler her face.

She teleported to her room. The others were probably approaching the Tower now. There wasn't much time. She flew to her dark closet, rummaging around the bottom in search of a black one-shoulder bag. Grabbing it, she opened a small black portal around her feet, just large enough to fit her through. She reappeared out of the floor back in the common room. Running to the fridge, she opened it up, feeling the cool air tingle her exposed skin. She reached in, grabbing a spoon and jar of mustard. Inching backwards, she tentatively picked up a tofu burger. She sighed. This was to save her friends. She put the tofu burger in a sandwich bag and shoved it into her bag. Now, who was left?

"Just in case," said Raven, carefully putting Silkie, who was now crawling around the kitchen counter near Raven, in the bag next to the tofu burger.

"Alright, Cyborg, what would get you back into the real world?" Pausing for a moment, Raven decided upon a tough choice. "It'll be hard to sneak this into Slade's lair, but the T-Car will have to go." Raven grabbed the keys from Cyborg's drawer in the kitchen, and headed down to the garage.

Down in the garage, Raven heard a noise coming from the back door. Readying her hands with her powers, Raven stood strong. "I'm not afraid. Come out and fight."

A tunnel of light suddenly opened up in front of her. In her confusion, Raven had no defenses readied. The sonic cannon blast hurtled her to the opposite side of the garage.

"Ooof!" she exclaimed, landing hard on the concrete. "Alright," she said, getting up, "time to go."

She hopped into the T-Car and started the ignition. With her bag in the passenger seat, Raven peeled out of the garage, barely making it through the slowly opening garage door space. She glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the four Titans behind her running after her. "Let's kick this into turbo." A smirk formed on her face. She never expressed any interest in driving Cyborg's "baby", but now that she was in the driver's seat, she was ready to have some fun.

"Alright, Cyborg, what fancy traps did you put into this thing?" she asked, eyeing the various buttons to her right. "Smoke bombs, tacks, sonic cannon, rocket, ooh, oil, always a fun classic." She pressed the last button, and heard a click. Some compartments in the back of the car opened up, and black oil flooded the street. Robin, leading the pack, saw the overflow of oil and immediately leapt up and continued following the T-Car from the sidewalk. Beast Boy, who had been directly behind Robin, hadn't seen the oil until Robin had jumped away, so the shape shifter fell face first into the muck, getting it all over himself. Cyborg had taken one step too many and slipped in the oil, falling flat on his behind, splashing a nearby Starfire with the goo.

Raven glanced at Robin in her side view mirror. "Of course, Robin's the only one competent enough to evade the oil." Raven laughed briefly, taking a sharp turn to the right. Robin skidded at the curb and pounded his foot into the ground to stop himself. He turned and continued following the T-Car, edging closer and closer with each stride. After a few minutes of the downtown chase, Raven checked out her rear view mirror again. The other three had rejoined Robin in the chase, and they were all nearing Slade's lair once more.

"Just the final stretch to go…" Raven groaned, her voice sounding strained.

Finally, Raven saw the hidden entrance and…

BAM

The rock wall of Slade's lair exploded in a shower of rock and stone, sounding like a bomb had just detonated. The T-Car landed harshly on the stone ground, the tires screeching like angry cats that had just been run over. She dusted off the hood of the car, uncovering the still shiny metal underneath. With her back over her shoulder, she backed up, ready to face and save her friends. One by one, they appeared out of the hole, all covered in dust and dirt, not to mention some oil, excluding Robin.

From out of the corner of Raven's eye, she saw a figure move behind her.

Slade reappeared out of the darkness carrying a gas tank and sharps box.

Raven looked back at her friends. There was no time for Slade to knock her or them out. She would save them. She would at least try.

All of a sudden, Starfire began to blink, as one would if something was caught in his or her eye. Once. Twice. Three times. Raven's glance moved to Beast Boy. He too had begun to blink more frequently. Soon enough, all four of them were blinking unnaturally.

Then it hit her.

Slade was going to keep them unconscious so that their bodies would be able to succumb to the device he had put inside them. That's how they were so obedient. That's how he was controlling them so completely. That's why Slade held the gas tank and injections, probably filled with more knockout material. The Titans were coming to! This was Raven's only chance to save her friends.

"No!" Slade began to run at Raven and his apprentices, but Raven got to her friends first.

Approaching Starfire, Raven placed Silkie in her arms and shoved a spoonful of cold, fresh yellow mustard into the alien girl's mouth. Raven stepped back and stared, hoping for the best.

After a long moment, Starfire's eyes popped wide open. She swallowed and gasped. Raven heard the faintest fizzle from Starfire's body.

"Silkie! My bumgorf! How wonderful it is to see you!"

Raven's breath flew all the way into her throat, and she felt the sides of her mouth turn up into a fantastic smile. She had done it. She had found the flaw in Slade's alleged foolproof plan. Emotions. Things that Slade could probably not experience much anyways. Things that he lacked. Happiness was one of the strongest of emotions. It was what brought Starfire back into real life, into reality.

Raven flew to Beast Boy next. She unwrapped the tofu bagel and shoved it into the boy's face, surprising him. Raven ripped it from his mouth after he had bitten down hard enough. The tofu burger's fantastic taste and flavor danced across Beast Boy's dry tongue, tantalizing his senses. His previously serious face changed into one of pure elation, and he yelled, "TOFU!" with his mouth full. Raven flinched as pieces of tofu came flying out, but she smiled nonetheless.

Raven ran to Cyborg's car and casually sat in the passenger seat. She exerted her soul self over the metal man and moved him into the driver's seat. "Here. You might be missing these." Raven tossed the keys into Cyborg's confused hand. Feeling the sparks and familiarity from his own technology, Cyborg snapped out of Slade's trance. Looking around at his surroundings, Cyborg smiled and yelled out at the top of his lungs, "BOO YAH!"

One more.

One Titan left to free from Slade's curse.

Raven looked down at her bag. _Empty._

But it didn't matter. She had something with her this entire time that she hoped would be able to free the last Titan, Robin.

She exited Cyborg's car and walked slowly towards Robin, cautious which mind would bring itself forward: his human mind or the mind of Slade's device.

Raven opened her mouth, trembling slightly. Her stomach fluttered with innumerous butterflies, and her footing was suddenly close to unsteady.

"I didn't know of anything that would really spark some emotion in you, so I apologize, but this is all I've got." She reached up and captured his lips in a passionate kiss.

_Love._

Love was what she had all along. When she realized that she felt so deeply for her friend, he had been running through her mind all this time. Even if he didn't snap out of it, even if he ended up killing her, Raven was just happy to know that she loved someone. Emotion. The emotion of love was arguably the most powerful emotion she had experienced; not even her father's rage could compare. As cheesy as it might be, it was indescribable. She had tried, time and time again to define for herself what it was that she felt, what she was becoming.

Raven unwrapped her arms from behind Robin's head, looking at his face, hoping to see any movement, any sign to tell her that he was okay, that he was there.

Robin didn't move.

Their eyes held locked with each other for the longest moment, time seeming to slow to the point where a second felt like a minute.

A faint, fizzing sound came from Robin's head, and Raven looked up again, a small hopeful smile appearing on her lips.

"…Raven?"

Raven rushed into Robin's arms, tears threatening to fall from her amethyst eyes.

"It's okay, I'm back." He looked around at his fellow smiling Titans, "I think we're all back." He put his warm palm against her back, pressing her to him.

"You knew that something was wrong?" Raven asked, looking up at Robin.

"Yeah." Robin reached up and scratched the back of his head before returning his hand to Raven's back. "It was like I was falling in and out of consciousness, like I was in a super heavy daze. I knew that sometimes I was moving, but I wasn't conscious enough to come to."

"…No!" came a clearly distressed Slade. Raven turned around, still in Robin's arms, and looked at the villain. Slade, desperate for victory, held one of his drone's laser handguns, poised and ready to fire. "Robin! Attack her!"

Robin released Raven from his grasp and took a few steps towards the man. "Don't forget, Slade, I'm not under your control anymore. Hurts to lose, doesn't it? The worst part of losing something is trying to get it back, isn't that right?" Robin looked back at Raven. "You ready?"

"Let's go."

Stepping forwards again, Robin thrust his fist out. "Titans go!"

Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and leapt at Slade, slashing away. Slade backed up, attempting to shoot him with the laser gun. The tiger clawed at the gun, knocking it out of Slade's hand. Slade, now with two free hands, was able to flip onto his hands and kick Beast Boy the tiger in the face.

Starfire flew up into the air, something her body had not done for quite a few days, and was itching to do. "It feels wonderful to once again feel emotion and flight!" Her eyes and hands lit up with green starbolt energy, and she unleashed a powerful eyebeam on her target. Slade fell backwards, engulfed in the green energy. Starfire started pelting him with a barrage of starbolts. "I am not so pathetic now with my powers, yes?"

Cyborg stood above Slade, loading up his sonic cannon, and aimed. Quickly remembering, Slade pressed a button on his wrist, activating the computer chip still inside Cyborg's electronic side of his brain.

"Aaah!" His hand flew to Cyborg's head, feeling conflicting controls. His right arm transformed back into a normal arm under Slade's command.

"Robin…help!" Cyborg called, fighting to keep his control prominent.

Attending to his friend's call, Robin ran to Cyborg. "What can I do?"

"Move!"

Slade had commanded Cyborg to strike a punch, so Cyborg's right fist came crashing down. Robin jumped out of the way just in time.

"Get the chip out! Hurry! And keep moving!"

Robin leapt up, dodging yet another blow, and situated himself on Cyborg's back. Cyborg tried to grab Robin and throw him down, but Robin found the drive to eject first. Robin pressed the small button and the left side of Cyborg's head slid out. The light blue, almost gray chip stuck out perfectly in the middle slot.

"Gotcha."

Robin plucked the chip out from Cyborg, and leapt off his back.

"Thanks, Rob!"

Robin nodded. "Alright," he said, turning to face Slade, "your turn to help me. Ready to unleash the sonic boom?"

Cyborg grinned. "Oh yeah."

They both backed up and checked out their path. "Raven! Starfire! Beast Boy! Move!" Robin called, warning his friends.

After clearing the path, Robin and Cyborg ran straight at Slade, their feet pounding on the ground in unison. Jumping in a crossed path, Robin and Cyborg unleashed their proper weapons. Just before releasing his explosive discs, Robin let go of the chip that had been in Cyborg's head moments before, effectively destroying it one second before the full blast hit its intended target.

"Aaauugh!" Slade had only the time to look up into the dragon's mouth of the attack. He burst through the far wall, falling down a hole a few feet deep. He groaned as he tried to rise, pushing large stones out of his way.

Robin motioned to Raven. "Care to deliver the final blow?"

Raven's mouth warped into a devious scowl. "I intend to."

Raven walked up to Slade, her confident eyes dead set upon Slade's own. "You thought your plan was fool proof. You thought I was so weak to submit to you. You thought you could control my friends, the Teen Titans." Raven paused, stopping directly in front of the fallen Slade. He looked up at her, the tiniest hint of fear visible in his lone, gleaming eye.

Raven's eye lit up with fiery white power. "You were wrong."

She flung her soul self into Slade and levitated him up, his feet dangling three feet off the ground. "Just as a warning, the last time I did this to you, you were more or less a zombie." A dark smirk appeared on her face. Slade almost expected the four, red eyes to reappear along with it. "This time, you're human."

Raven thrust her arm out to the side, and Slade had no choice but to follow. He flew across the room, completely under Raven's control. He slammed against the wall, his will and body useless against Raven's greater power. Raven lifted him up out of the rubble and smashed him against the ground and ceiling, bouncing him around like a pinball in a pinball machine.

Groaning and panting, Slade lied at the bottom of a pile of rocks that had followed his path from the ceiling to the ground. Rising would only result in more bashing that could eventually lead to his death.

"Had enough, Slade? How's it like being without control? Can't even control your own body, can you?" Raven taunted, looking down at him.

Tired and bruised, Slade chose only to respond with words. "Control is only a matter of the mind. And I have control of mine."

"What, that's it? No furious rise from the rocks?"

With nothing left to say, Slade remained quiet.

"Just remember this for next time, Slade." Raven brought her face close to his. She stared him dead in the eye. "I can do this all over again. And more. The power you witnessed with my prophecy? It's all still in here. Under _my_ control. It was your worst decision to come mess with me. No one messes with me."

With those final words, Raven walked back to join her friends. She opened a portal underneath the five of them and the T-Car. In the shape of the black raven, they flew home to celebrate.

* * *

><p>"I propose a toast to Raven! For saving our bodies and for taking Slade down!" Robin proudly said, holding up a glass of apple cider. Just because they were superheroes, that didn't mean that they could break the law and celebrate with champagne, although Cyborg had suggested it.<p>

"To Raven!" said the four Titans, happy to have full control of their bodies once more.

Raven clinked glasses with them and took a small sip. She smiled as she looked around at her friends. She had, of course, chosen to sit next to Robin, who had invited her to sit by him.

"Thanks, you guys." Raven wasn't really used to being praised, so she didn't have much to say.

"Friend! Please tell us what you did as each of us were taken away!" asked Starfire, eager to know how Raven prevailed.

"Well, when Beast Boy was taken away…"

And so the Titans spent the rest of the night listening to Raven describe the whole story, beginning to end. Cyborg was surprised at how much Raven could say, as she had been so quiet all this time.

Throughout the entire story-filled night, Raven never let go of Robin's hand.

* * *

><p><strong>AN – **Thank you for making it all the way through "Bird Brain"! :D I've had lots of fun writing this story and receiving your comments and criticism. It's all been very helpful. But the journey is not completely over! The final part to this will be a short epilogue to clear anything up and a little RobRae fluff, since this story lacks quite a lot of that. Leave a review if you read and enjoyed the whole story!

- Necronom Hezberek Mortix


	11. Love is like Coffee

**Epilogue: Love is Like Coffee**

**Disclaimer – **I still do not own any of the ideas or characters from the Teen Titans. Otherwise, this would have been an episode. I love this plot line. Hope you did too.

**A/N – **So here's the final chapter of "Bird Brain"! So sad. *weeps* Alright, now that that's over, this is a kind of epilogue thing, but it fits in at the line break at the end of the previous chapter. Sorry if that is at all confusing.

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><p>Walking to her room, Raven held a new book in her hands. Before this whole ordeal, Raven had purchased a new magic fantasy book and had completely forgotten about it until she saw the top of the brown spine peeking out of the space between the black couch cushions.<p>

"So this is where you went," she had said, picking up the book and opening it to the first page.

Now Raven walked slowly down the hallway reading, her eyes focused on the book's alluring story. Her eyes reached the end of the page, the last word waiting for the reader to connect it with it's long lost friend forever on the other side of the word's world. Raven flipped to the next page, the words making a joyful connection in her mind.

Unbeknownst to Raven, another bird was walking down the same hallway, studying some paperwork of his own.

_Three, two, one_

CRASH

Tumbling to their bottoms, Robin and Raven both fell onto the floor, papers and book falling out of reach.

"Aaah! Sorry, Raven!" Robin quickly apologized, sitting up and reaching for her book.

At the same time, Raven had gasped and reached for her book as well. As her hand met the soft leather that bound the book, Robin's gloved hand sneaked under the book's spine. Their fingertips met with the slightest touch. Raven instantly looked up at Robin, who had no immediate reaction. He simply kept his fingers there. A moment later, his hand grasped the book's spine completely. He shifted the book into Raven's very nearby hand. Robin gently guided the book into Raven's hand.

Snapping back into reality, Raven blinked a few times. Looking down at the papers strewn across the space between them, Raven activated her powers and put them back in order. Telekinetically, she placed the stack of papers down in front of Robin. "Sorry," was all she said.

"Hey Raven, could I talk to you for a moment? Up on the roof, maybe?" Robin asked her, looking her in the eyes.

"Oh, I…sure, Robin."

"Great," he said, smiling slightly. "See you up there in about five minutes. I just have to finish filing this report," he continued, gesturing to his stack of papers.

Robin picked up his papers and stood up, offering Raven a hand. "Need some help?" he asked, smiling at her.

Raven returned a small smile and accepted Robin's hand. Nodding to Robin, she continued past him, clutching her book tightly.

Robin took a last glance at Raven and continued down the hallway, turning the corner.

Raven peeked over her shoulder, her eyes confirming that he was gone. Taking steps to return back to her room, thoughts swirled around her head. _What does he want to talk to me about? Why didn't he move his hand? _

As she thought, Raven subconsciously bit her bottom lip and clutched her book tightly. Nonetheless, she watched the clock for her appointment with Robin on the roof.

Five minutes later, Raven found herself on the Tower's roof, staring out into the descending orange sun.

"Right on time," came a voice behind her. Robin walked up beside Raven, fixing his gaze on her instead of the beautiful sun.

"I just wanted to thank you personally for saving the team. You really showed some leadership and bravery."

Raven felt warmth instantly spread to her cheeks. Robin was complimenting her for leadership. Raven never thought of herself to be any kind of leader. She guessed that extreme situations could bring out some emergency resources.

"Thank you, Robin. It really means a lot, coming from you," she thanked.

Both Titans now turned to the setting sun. Silence hung lightly between them. Minutes passed. They watched the sun dip down below the horizon, the sky darkening a bit as a result.

"…Raven, can I ask about the kiss?"

Raven's face immediately flushed with color. "Uhh, well, sorry if that was completely uncalled for." She paused, suddenly seething with nerves. "I just needed an emotion that could spark you out of—"

Raven was unable to finish her sentence because Robin had pulled her by the waist close to him, and kissed her. His eyes closed, and Robin melted into the kiss, his lips caressing Raven's soft mouth. Raven's eyes remained open for a second longer until she realized what was happening. She accepted and welcomed Robin's lips, so happy to be back in this euphoria.

Only when the two birds had to breathe did Raven pull herself away from Robin.

"…w-what?" was all the stunned but happy Raven could utter.

"Listen, Raven," Robin said, taking Raven's soft hands in his own. "I've wanted to tell you how I feel for a while now, but I didn't exactly know how to start. Thanks for helping me out." He smiled kindly at her, the smile filled with intimate compassion.

"You…like me?"

Robin continued to smile comfortably. "I thought you could tell. The feeling I got seeing you alive after Trigon's ascent was more effective than the blackest coffee."

Raven let a small smile form upon her lips. "Yeah, well, from what I did, I think you can tell how I feel about you," she said so quietly, it was almost a whisper. She closed her eyes, sighing heavily.

Robin's smile disappeared. "This is hard for you, isn't it?" he observed.

Raven looked away, facing the clear blue glimmering water of the bay. "All this time, I've learned to suppress my emotions. Even without my father's influence, I am still afraid of what might happen if I let go."

"I'm sorry to bring this up, but what about Malchior? You held some intimate feelings for him, right? Nothing bad came about just from that."

Raven flinched at the mention of the monster that long ago betrayed and broke her already fragile heart. A wound she thought had since healed suddenly tore slightly open anew.

"While it may be safer for me to feel positive emotions such as love than anger and rage, I still don't exactly know how my powers would react. I don't want to lose control," Raven said whole-heartedly. A little more quietly, she added, "I don't want to hurt you."

Robin smiled at her, and reached for her hand again. He put his other hand on top of hers, enveloping Raven's hands in Robin's warmth and security. "Don't worry. You never have and never will hurt me."

Raven returned Robin's smile. She took her free left hand and lightly traced the side of Robin's face with her fingertips. Following the contour of his face, Raven's hand stretched down to the back of his neck. The tip of her finger brushed against the end of the long, raised scar, a reminder of how close Raven had been to losing her friends. But it was also a memory of how she and her friends triumphed over nearly flawless technology, and more importantly, over Slade.

Raven chuckled, her fingers still lingering on the ambivalent memory.

"After this, we should get you all to the hospital to get Slade's devices out of your bodies."

"Oh right," Robin recalled, "good call, Rae."

Raven smirked kindly at him. "You know I don't really like that pet name."

"Shall I come up with additional nicknames for you then, Raven?"

"Ha. You're a full time hero, Robin. You haven't got the time."

Robin suddenly smiled brightly, his face lighting up with a nice smile. "I would have time if you'd agree to dinner with me at eight tomorrow night."

"That sounds suspiciously like a date," Raven observed, a light smile on her face.

"That's because I'm asking you to one."

"Then I guess it's going to be quite a long night tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Robin said, leaning in to give Raven a quick little peck on the lips. "Now, let's go get the others so we can get these dang devices out of us," Robin offered, placing his palm to the back of his neck.

Robin lowered his hand and grasped Raven's hand. "You ready to go?"

Raven smiled. "With you, anytime."

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><p><strong>AN – **Yay! So fluffy! Hope you enjoyed the last part (and the rest of the story) of "Bird Brain"! Please leave a review with some feedback about this particular chapter or the story in general. Everything helps. :D


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